Have you spotted Celine Dion or Jimmy Barnes in the Southern Highlands recently?
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They're two of 10 koalas to be named after musicians as a part of a new research project.
The Southern Highlands have one of the largest populations of koalas in NSW but little research has been done up until recently.
Wingecarribee Shire Council's Southern Highlands Koala Conservation Project is working with the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and the University of Sydney to find out more about our Koala population and its health.
USYD PhD candidate Cristina Fernandez is exploring how different chlamydia strains and habitat quality influence the progression of chlamydia disease in koalas.
Council's Private land conservation (SOS koala project) environment officer Margot Law said there was a reason the koalas were given the star-studded names.
"Anyone who has heard a koala bellow will know that they have the worst singing voice," she said.
"We thought they could use some inspiration from the world's best musicians."
Chlamydia is a common koala disease that can sometimes cause infertility, blindness and death in koalas.
"We are helping Cristina find koalas across the Southern Highlands to test for chlamydia and collect genetic and blood samples," she said.
"At the same time, we're attaching GPS devices to koala collars to track their movements to see how they use their habitat and which tree species they prefer in different parts of our Shire."
Ms Law said the study would help the team understand the best way to conserve koalas in the Southern Highlands.
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"For example, by knowing which habitats and tree species they prefer, we can try and protect these more effectively, whether by private land conservation or development planning," she said.
"It also allows us to ensure that revegetation projects use a suite of species which are suitable for koalas."
Visit wsc.nsw.gov.au/koalas or like the Southern Highlands Koala Conservation Project Facebook page to find out more about the study.
Call 4868 0888 or email citizen.science@wsc.nsw.gov.au to report your koala sightings.
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Koala research in the Highlands is collaborative effort between the Southern Highlands Koala Conservation Project, the Department of Planning and Environment, University of Sydney, Saving Our Species and Koala Health Hub.
Ecologists, vets and volunteers also assist Wingecarribee Shire Council and make a contribution to the research project.
