Science for Wildlife is taking steps to rescue koalas ahead of the fire in the Kanangra-Boyd National Park.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Executive director Doctor Kellie Leigh decided to take action after they watched mega-fires burn three of the koala populations mapped by the wildlife conservation organisation.
On Saturday and Sunday, they temporarily re-homed 12 koalas at the Taronga Wildlife Hospital.
They said that devastating wildlife losses lead them to take unprecedented action. The rescue mission was supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
"With only a two-day window where it was safe for us to go in ahead of the fires, it was a rush to organise the rescue attempt. We sent out teams into the rugged and steep terrain to track down the koalas that we had VHF radio trackers on, then sent in our climbing team to get them down," a statement read.
Following a health check, the koalas were transported to the Wildlife Hospital in Sydney.
The koalas are believed to be free of infectious bacteria that can severely impact a koala's health.
"Our studies have shown the Blue Mountains World Heritage region supports koalas that have the highest level of genetic diversity recorded, and the population we have been working on Kanangra-Boyd National Park is one of only two populations in NSW that are free of chlamydial disease."
The organisation will continue to deliver feed to the animals.
CHECK OUT: Animal shelter in need of a helping paw
"The koalas are in the best hands at Taronga, but the zoo is not set up to take this many koalas so we will be helping with collecting browse (branches from the eucalyptus trees that koalas eat) while they are held in captivity. We have to collect a truckload every two days."
Science for Wildlife is a not for profit organisation and has asked people to consider donating.
"We also need to plan for the release of the koalas when it is safe, and we continue to work with WIRES (Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation) and NPWS to rescue koalas from burnt areas.
"We also need to keep mapping these critically important koala populations, we can't rescue them if we don't know where they live."
Donate at givenow.com.au/koalaconservation
The organisation thanked the Wildlife Conservation Fund and Wildlife Sydney Zoo for their support and generous donation of $5000 to start off our bushfire fundraising appeal.
READ ALSO: How to beat the heat and smoke this summer