18 January 2023
Every moment of help counts, when it comes to our Koala population
It takes an enormous collective effort to care for an injured koala or their vulnerable joey. In a time when these precious Australian icons are registered as an endangered species, absolutely every moment of help counts. Volunteer home carer Judy Brady is a dedicated local living on Birpai Land, Port Macquarie at the epicentre of this effort.
When Judy and her newly retired husband moved north from Sydney in 2003, it was the start of a 19 year relationship with the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital (PMKH). Since then, Judy has played a valuable role as a night rescuer, team leader and committed home carer. She can’t remember how many ‘house guests’ she’s hosted over the years, but it is this dedicated care for each and every koala or joey, that is at the root of their survival.
Each one is so precious – we have to put the time in to save every one that we can.
Their latest resident arrived following a traumatic road accident in late 2022. Baby Koa and his Mum ‘Campbeltown Kyana’ were first sent to the PMKH for observation, but when she stopped lactating and the joey started losing weight, the tough decision to take him from her was made.
“When I first got him he became quite dehydrated so it was really important to get the formula in and he’s not the easiest little joey I’ve had to feed. He was around 600 grams at the time, just a little bigger than a tub of butter.”
Judy wakes at 6am to give Koa his first formula feed. “I pull him from the (artificial) pouch, sit him on my knee, put the face cloth around his chin and feed him. Then he pops back in. They’re nocturnal so he sleeps all day, but I do this five hourly to make sure he gets all the nutrients he needs to gain the weight,” she says.
At around 7am every morning Judy heads to the hospital to get the day’s fresh leaf for Koa. A ritual allowing her to stay connected to the hospital and its community on a daily basis.
When Koa gets a little bigger and leaves the pouch for good, he’ll move outside to an aviary in Judy’s Garden provided by the hospital. Even then, she’ll still formula feed him through the day as he learns to climb on a small branch structure and increases his intake of leaf. When he eventually reaches his milestone weight of 2-2.5kgs he’ll graduate to live in the Koala Hospital yard with other joeys, continuing to gain weight, increase fitness and practice his climbing.
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“It’s a huge moment when they return back to the yard,” says Dr Shali Fischer, a Wildlife Vet at the PMKH. “The home care Judy and so many others provide is crucial to the ultimate goal of Koa being released back into the wild in Cambeltown somewhere between 12-15 months. It’s what we aim for and it’s just a beautiful sight to see.”
But first things first. When Koa moves to the yard he’ll live close to Baz, the last remaining bushfire rescued koala who in recent times has fathered a joey with another rescue koala, Jade. Jaz (a hybrid of their names), born the size of a bee less than a year ago has progressed incredibly. He can now climb onto his mother’s back and all around the gunyah (branch furniture in their enclosure), pick his own leaf, groom himself and even identify what he needs to be cautious of. “In this case, Jade has done most of it alone, she’s an amazing mother,” says Shali.
The collective effort is exatraordinary. There’s no doubt it’s a big responsibility and commitment for home carers, but for Judy, every single moment she spends helping little Koa is a privilege.
I always tell people Koalas do no harm, they don’t wreck your vege garden, they don’t eat your fruit, they do no harm at all, the only thing Koala’s need is those big trees, they need their trees.
koalahospital.org.au
