Home > In the Media 2010
Sunshine Coast Australia Day Awards 2012
Ailish Bolt & Ashley Ogilvie - Young Citizen of the Year
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
26 January 2012
Brother and sister Ashley and Ailish - previous Joey Ambassadors with Wildlife Warriors - have designed and launched their own website - Planet You - in 2011. The site is all about raising awareness and showing kids how they can make a difference. They started by phoning lots of kids to find out what they wanted to learn about and now they travel all over the country interviewing kids and adults. They are also making videos about topics such as saving the whales, homelessness, war and global warming, which they put on their website. To date, they have raised over $10,000 for various causes including homelessness, conservation and wildlife.
Fleet too ill to survive operation
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
6 January 2012
AAP
A KOALA that was shot seven times with an air rifle has died during an operation to remove one of the pellets that was lodged in his head.
Fleet the koala won the hearts of Queenslanders after he was found peppered with slugs high in a tree at Kippa-Ring, north of Brisbane, last October.
Although Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital vets had been able to remove just three of the seven pellets lodged in Fleet, they had hoped he would make a full recovery.
However, Fleet died on Wednesday during an operation to extract one of the remaining pellets, which was lodged in his nose, vet Amber Gillet said.
The pellet had given Fleet a life-threatening infection in his nasal cavity.
The six-year-old marsupial was weakened already when his heart stopped during surgery and could not be revived, Ms Gillet said.
"Unfortunately we were in a situation where we had no other option other than to try and remove that problem (the pellet)," she said.
"Unfortunately the infection, and the problems that he had, led to his demise."
Ms Gillet said Fleet had been popular with zoo staff as well as the public.
"To lose him is exceptionally emotional for all of us," Ms Gillet said.
Seabirds becoming the catch of the day
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
6 January 2012
By Kristy Muir
IT is a sight we are seeing far too often: seabirds tangled in fishing line with hooks in their beaks.
A lucky few may be saved by someone who stumbles across them on a beach walk.
But for most their outlook is grim, starving to death or being unable to defend themselves against predators.
Yesterday, Buddina resident Glennis Vanieris saw an injured cormorant during her morning walk around La Balsa.
She went to its aid and phoned Australia Zoo's rescue unit.
The black-and-white sea bird was motionless and clearly exhausted from the ordeal of being hooked.
She stayed with the bird for 75 minutes but it flew away before the rescue unit arrived.
Mrs Vanieris said it was not the first time she had seen a bird injured because of careless fishermen.
She said in the past she had saved two herons, but not being able to help this bird left her feeling powerless and sad.
She said it was unfortunate the zoo was on a call-out to help another injured animal and was not able to respond in time to catch the cormorant.
Bridgette Powers, of Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue iat Landsborough, said fishing equipment-related injuries to seabirds were too common and something needed to be done to prevent them.
"We rescue three or four cormorants a week," she said.
"And a lot of other seabirds."
Ms Powers said cormorants tried to eat what was on the end of the hook in the water. "Fishermen should look before they cast their lines to make sure no seabirds are eyeing off their bait," she said.
She said this time of year was peak season for seabirds to become entangled in netting or fishing line and hooks.
"So many people are out fishing and are careless with their fishing tackle," she said.
"People need to be more careful and protect our precious wildlife."
If you find an injured seabird, phone the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital 24-hour emergency hotline on 1300 369 652 or Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue on 0421 476 561.
Tiny Chloe takes on huge job to protect our wildlife
News source: The Range News
27 October 2011
CHLOE Tsangaris is a pocket dynamo when it comes to awareness and raising money for Australian wildlife.
At just nine years of age, the Glasshouse Country Christian College Year 3 student has already raised $20,000.
Last year she shared the spotlight with band The Veronicas when she won a national Wildlife Warrior of the Year award for her work in raising public awareness of animal welfare.
Previous recipients include Rove McManus in 2009.
She cites the loggerhead turtle as her favourite animal, "because they are nearly at the extinction line and I really want to save them".
Chloe wants to be an Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital vet when she grows up.
"I want to save animals because they are just like you and me," Chloe, an Australia Zoo Wildlife Warrior joey ambassador, said.
"They might look different, but they are the same on the inside and they have feelings."
Despite her national recognition, the pint-sized activist isn't about to rest on her laurels.
The family moved from Brisbane to Beerwah two months ago and already Chloe is hitting the pavements asking the community to get behind her campout being held at her family's Beerwah property on November 5.
The positive response has shown how community-minded people are on the Sunshine Coast, with families already registering and local businesses supporting her event.
Chloe's mother Kylie said her daughter had always loved animals and had taken the family on a journey with her wildlife fundraising activities over the past few years.
"Chloe's not afraid to approach business owners to ask for support," Mrs Tsangaris said.
"She writes to them and visits them and tells them about endangered animals.
"How can they say no?"
Animal lover Ellie's a model warrior
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
25 October 2011
By Laura Lath
THEY say elephants never forget and a morning of modelling with an aspiring Victoria's Secret angel is surely something that will stay with Siam.
Wildlife Warrior and model Ellie Gonsalves, 20, spent yesterday morning getting up close and personal with Siam and the other animal residents of Australia Zoo yesterday for a fundraising photo shoot.
The young blonde, one of the zoo's most avid supporters, was working with her animal companions to produce a calendar to raise funds for Wildlife Warriors and animal conservation.
A bikini-clad Ellie was also photographed with a python, rhinoceros, macaw, tortoise, alligator, koala, and kangaroos but said her favourite experience was with Siam.
"It was amazing... Siam was really playful," Ellie said. "It was such a wonderful experience."
Ellie said she felt compelled to become a Wildlife Warrior after an earlier visit to the zoo, where she had the opportunity to walk through the wildlife hospital.
"It's heartbreaking but really does make you want to make a difference as well," she said.
"It emotionally connects you with the animals and the zoo."
Ellie grew up on a small property in Burbank, on the outskirts of Brisbane, and said she had always been an animal lover and passionate about animal rights.
She takes her stand on animal rights to heart and is a vegetarian, both for health reasons and her beliefs about animal treatment.
But it is hard to ignore Ellie's other passion in life - modelling.
Her story is like something out of a book. She grew up as a self-confessed tomboy before being spotted by a modelling talent scout during a trip to the shops at age 13.
Ellie said she initially did not have much interest in clothes, make-up and looks, but had grown into her career in the past few years.
"Modelling has been an experience that I wouldn't trade anything for," she said.
Ellie's goal is to become a model for Victoria's Secret and in the last year has divided her time between Australia and Los Angeles.
Ellie plans to move to the States at the end of the year, but hopes to continue her wildlfie work from her new American home.
"Being able to take it over America, being a Wildlife Warrior, is something I look forward to," she said.
Walking on the wild side for calendar with animal magnetism
News source: Courier Mail
25 October 2011
By Kristin Shorten
BRISBANE-born model Ellie Gonsalves scored some animal admirers yesterday while shooting the 2012 Wildlife Warriors fundraising calendar at Australia Zoo at Beerwah.
"I got drooled on by an elephant which was pretty slimy," she said.
"But being able to feed the elephant Siam and hang with the animals and do my thing while sending an awesome message...was so much fun."
The 20-year-old decided to lend her voice - and her body - to animal conservation after a recent behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo's wildlife hospital.
"What they do at the hospital really touched me and I'm really blessed to be here, making a difference," she said.
Gonsalves, 20, is the Wildlife Warriors' newest ambassador, joining the likes of Jimmy Barnes, The Veronicas and John Williamson. The calendar shoot, featuring a dozen different species from the zoo, wraps up this afternoon.
"We're photographing the elephant, the snake, the koala, the rhino, the tortoise and the 'gator," Gonsalves said.
Researchers take koala vaccine to the wild
News source: Courier Mail
22 October 2011
By Janelle Miles, medical reporter
QUEENSLAND scientists are preparing to launch the first field trials of a koala chlamydia vaccine.
Microbiologist Peter Timms, who has been working on the vaccine for years, says he expects to start testing it on koalas in the Gold Coast hinterland early next year.
The koalas will be fitted with radio collars so they can be tracked, allowing scientists to assess the effectiveness of the experimental vaccine.
Professor Timms, of the Queensland University of Technology, says he is hopeful of its benefits after trials at Brisbane's Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and at Australia Zoo Wildilfe Hospital, near Beerwah, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
"We give the animals the vaccine and make sure it's safe and it doesn't cause any bad reactions and we get the right type of immune responses," he explains. "That worked well."
The new trial will assess its ability to reduce infection levels in vaccinated animals and whether it improves the baility of female koalas to reproduce.
Based at QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Timms says chlamydia is a significant factor in dwindling koala populations in Queensland and northern NSW.
He says a recent study shows sexually transmitted disease, caused by the chlamydia bacterium, is just as big a threat to the marsupials as loss of habitat.
While vaccinating every koala in the wild would be well nigh impossible, Timms says the thousands of animals brought to koala care centres and wildlife hospitals every year can be inoculated. "If it shows good benefits, then you could look at vaccinating particular populations that are in decline," he says.
Research into chlamydia in koalas, which can cause infertility and blindness, is throwing light on a parallel project to develop a human vaccine.
The QUT Chlamydia Research Alliance project has received a $1.88 million Queensland Government grant to work with Indian and Canadian researchers.
Timms says the researchers are looking at trialling different delivery approaches, such as administering the vaccine by way of a nasal puffer, rather than a needle, to test whether it affects the strength of the immune response at key sites.
"In koalas, we take a blood sample to look for antibodies but we also swab the genital tract and eyes and look for the immune response from those sites," Timms says.
While the koala vaccine is progressing well, trials of a corresponding human product are probably years away.
The need for a human vaccine is pressing. New chlamydia infections in Queensland rose from 12,241 in 2006 to 19,217 last year.
Queensland Health senior communicable diseases director Christine Selvey says she believes much of the increase is a result of more screening, but not all.
She says a human vaccine would prevent hospital admissions and the need for emergency surgery, given chlamydia increases a wolman's chances of having an ectopic pregnancy - when a fertilised egg implants outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tubes.
"If the pregnancy causes the tube to burst, and that's not treated properly, you can then have somebody who dies from blood loss," Selvey says.
Australian Medical Association Queensland president Richard Kidd says a human vaccine would also prevent a great deal of heartbreak, as the sexually transmitted infection cause infertility in men and women.
But he says the best way of preventing chlamydia is for people to practise safe sex. "It's important to remind people that using condoms is the best way to prevent any sexually transmitted disease," he says.
Fleet on road to recovery after cruel act
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
21 October 2011
AAP
A KOALA found with seven slug-gun pellets lodged in his body is expected to make a full recovery.
The six-year-old marsupial was found one week ago high in a tree at Kippa-Ring, with the pellets lodged in his skull, lower back, behind his ear and in each limb.
Three of the pellets were removed in an operation soon after but the rest will remain lodged in the koala, who Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital staff have dubbed Fleet. A hospital spokeswoman said Fleet was recovering well from his operation and than an infection in his back foot had cleared up.
"He's eating leaf, he's gained 200g, and he's likely to be moved in to an outdoor enclosure in the next few days," the spokeswoman said.
"We're hopeful he will make a full recovery."
She said more than $2000 had been raised in public donations towards Fleet's medical treatment, which she called a "tremendous response".
$150,000 gift to help hospital find miracles
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
19 October 2011
By Nikkii Joyce
IT WAS a callout not entirely different to the 19 others a Sunshine Coast animal rescue unit attended yesterday.
But the unnecessary death of this adult female eastern grey would bring home the reality of the need for more gifts like the $150,000 Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital donation unveiled yesterday.
Sunshine Coast Council will donate $50,000 a year for the next three years to the hospital from a community grants program that was recently extended.
Councillor Anna Grosskreutz was on a tour of the hospital yesterday when an endangered hawkesbill turtle was brought in needing attention.
Cr Grosskreutz, whose heart she said had broken several times over perished pets, conceded that council-approved developments possibly contributed to hospital patients due to some habitat loss.
But she said yesterday's announcement and the council's ongoing purchases of land parcels purely for habitat protection was a sign of a commitment to conserving the region's biodiversity.
"I'd like to see other councils take a donation like this on board," Cr Grosskreutz said.
"The hospital takes animals from everywhere, including Brisbane, and does not discriminate if they come from outside the Sunshine Coast area."
Wildlife Warriors Appeals Manager Murray Munro said the donation would be spent on medical supplies.
Every year the hospital spends $200,000 on medical equipment and food for their patients, Mr Munro said.
"Australia Zoo, as our major sponsor, takes care of the administrative costs only," he said.
"Last year our total operation cost was $2 million for more than 8000 patients."
Mr Munro said recent tough financial times had hit the hospital hard and even a $2.50 gift could make all the difference.
If you wish to make a donation to the hospital or volunteer, follow the Wildlife Warriors link at www.australiazoo.com.au
Fleet's not out of danger yet
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
18 October 2011
POLICE are still investigating a callous attack on a koala last week.
Six-year-old Fleet was found at Kippa-Ring in Brisbane after being shot in every limb.
He was shot seven times and left for a week before he was rescued.
He was operated on at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital on Friday and placed on intravenous antibiotics and strong pain relief and fluids.
A severe infection could result in his leg having to be amputated.
Fleet is the fourth koala brought to the hospital with gun wounds in two years.
The RSPCA is working closely with police to track down the culprit.
Fleet faces a two to three-month recovery process.
To help Fleet, you can make a donation at www.everydayhero.com.au/event/koala
Zoo carers help tiny puggle's struggle for life without mum
News source: Courier Mail
18 October 2011
By Kristen Shorten
LIFE just got tough for this puggle with a face only a mother could love.
The 55g hairless, un-spined and blind baby echidna was orphaned at the weekend after its mother was hit by a car at Mackay.
Veterinarian Dr Amber Gillett and the pair were airlifted to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital in Beerwah on Thursday but the mother's suffering was so extreme that she had to be euthanased.
Dr Gillett said the matchboxed-sized monotreme, which was only weeks old, would be raised by a carer for at least six months.
"If it was 10g lighter it wouldn't be viable to hand-raise it," she said.
Dr Gillett said hospital staff had been fascinated by their tiny patient.
"We do see quite a few echidnas at certain times of the year but it was extremely rare to have a mother presented with a puggle in the pouch," she said.
The puggle, which is yet to be named, was expected to be released into the wild within 12 months.
Vets optimistic about koala peppered by pellets
News source: Courier Mail
15 October 2011
By Peter Hall
A KOALA shot in a sickening act of cruelty has been saved but will see out its life with four air rifle pellets lodged in its body.
Nicknamed Fleet, the male koala was rescued at Kippa-Ring, to Brisbane's north, on Thursday night.
It was taken to Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital at Beerwah where vets yesterday operated for an hour.
The koala, believed to be six years old, also had an infected foot and will stay in the hospital's intensive care unit and be treated with antibiotics and painkillers for around a week.
Veterinarian Amber Gillett said it was hoped Fleet would be returned to the wild in two to three months: "That's always our No. 1 goal and it's achievable in this case."
'Let offender spend a day with us in koala hospital'
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
15 October 2011
By Mark Furler
A VET outraged at the shooting of another koala wants the offender to spend a day at the wildlife hospital so they can see firsthand the suffering they caused.
The call came as she worked on a koala which had been shot seven times and left in the bush for a week before it was rescued by Australia Zoo's rescue unit at Kippa-Ring near Redcliffe late on Thursday.
The six-year-old male koala, called Fleet, was the fourth animal to be presented to the zoo with gunshot wounds in less than two years.
Wildlife hospital vet Dr Amber Gillett said she feared there were even more being shot that the zoo did not know about.
"I think it is such a cowardly act of cruelty," she told the Daily.
"Who would target an animal that is just sitting in a tree?"
Yesterday, Fleet underwent surgery to remove some of the slugs that had not gone in too deep.
After being shot in every limb, Fleet is facing two to three months to recover, if he first overcomes a leg infection.
Dr Gillett said there was a possiblity the koala could lose a leg though he was showing good signs of recovery after eating a half a bucket of leaf overnight.
Recently, the government introduced tougher penalties for shooting koalas after a baby koala named Frodo was shot 15 times. She took seven months to recover at the zoo.
The maximum penalty is $300,000 or two years in jail.
To help Fleet, donate at everydayhero.com/event/koala
Koala shot in every limb
News source: Courier Mail
14 October 2011
By Kristin Shorten
A SICKENING act of animal cruelty is believed responsible for a koala found overnight with seven slug gun pellets lodged in its body.
The male koala, found at a remote location at Kippa-Ring on Brisbane's northside, had been callously shot in every limb sometime last week.
The six-year-old will today be operated on at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, where staff have nicknamed him Fleet.
Vet Dr Amber Gillett, who examined Fleet last night, placed him on intravenous antibiotics, strong pain relief and fluids.
She said she was angry the koala had suffered such "immense cruelty".
"Every limb has been shot," she said. "He's been shot from every side.
"It's just an immense cruelty to picture someone taking potshots at this animal as he tries to move away from them - it's just horrible.
"Although they're only slug gun pellets, if these people got close enough, they could do serious damage.
"If one had gone through his eye it could have been a completely different story."
Fleet was believed to have been found by Department of Environment and Resource Management officers who were surveying bushland at Kippa-Ring yesterday afternoon.
The Australia Zoo Rescue Unit retrieved the injured animal about 4pm and it was last night examined at the Wildlife Hospital in Beerwah.
Dr Gillett said Fleet, who has large cuts on his face and foot, had been suffering with his wounds for up to a week.
She said: "The wounds are infected and usually it would take at least four to five days for infection like this to set in, so I suspect the injury may have happened about a week ago.
"The big laceration on his nose I suspect is a graze injury, so a pellet has taken away the tissue but hasn't lodged anywhere. He has an entry point on the top of his noise, behind the big laceration, so I suspect that's where the bullet in the sinus went in."
Dr Gillett said she would today remove the other pellets, which were not lodged too deeply.
"Tomorrow (Friday) we'll assess him and see how he is," she said.
"If he's stable and bright I'll attempt to remove the superficial pellets at the back of the ear and elbow.
"The one is his skull will stay where it is forever, it's too deep to go poking round to try to remove it."
Environment Minister Vicky Darling said she was sickened by the act.
"I am absolutely appalled by this," she said.
"I hope whoever is responsible for injuring this animal has the book thrown at them.
"I would urge anyone who knows anything about it to contact police."
Under the Nature Conservation Act, the maximum penalty for harming a koala is $300,000 or two years' imprisonment.
Police have been called in to investigate.
DERM slated after burn-off hurts koala
News source: Courier Mail
6 October 2011
By Kristin Shorten
ANGRY North Stradbroke Island residents are demanding to know how a koala was critically injured during a planned burn-off.
Australia Zoo was called in to rescue an eight-year-old koala after she was found with second-degree burns yesterday, three weeks after the Environment Department did a 45ha fuel reduction burn on the island.
Locals have blasted the Department of Environment and Resource Management for endangering the vulnerable species.
Environment Minister Vicky Darling denied the incident contravened the State Government's Koala Plan but has asked why the animal wasn't removed.
Despite initial fears the koala, named Rian, would not survive, last night she was in a stable condition at Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital on the Sunshine Coast.
Vet Dr Amber Gillett said Rian's injuries would be "incredibly painful" and she would take months to recover.
Kermit has a wheelie bad bin experience
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
27 August 2011
IT AIN'T easy being green.
But being run over by a wheelie bin without your best "bear" friend or pig girlfriend to help is just bad luck.
Kermit, the green tree frog, was taken more than 65km to Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for medical attention after he was injured at Cashmere this week.
At 13 grams, the little amphibian is one of the hospital's smallest patients.
But staff say the frog with the king-sized courage has already captured their hearts.
Hospital veterinarian Dr Amber Gillett said she had given some pain relief for what would be considerable discomfort.
"Kermit has suffered some soft trauma to the right leg after being run over by a wheelie bin," Dr Gillett said.
"We don't see many green tree frogs at the hospital, so to see a nice healthy one like Kermit is great."
Dr Gillett said generally frogs were becoming rare as a result of a contagious disease called "chytrid fungus". She said the fungus had already caused many Australian frog species to become extinct.
Kermit will return to the wild after a couple of days bed rest.
Twins want action over koala crisis
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
27 August 2011
By Kathy Sundstrom
NAMBOUR: one left. Caloundra: one left. Noosa National Park: two left. Coolum: all gone.
These statistics relate to the alarming decrease in the koala population on the Sunshine Coast.
The region which once provided a haven for koalas has become a graveyard, mostly due to rapid development.
Moffat Beach twins Ray and Murray Chambers have spent the past four years desperately trying to reverse the trend, but their attempts can only achieve so much.
Ray estimated there were only 140 koalas left across the Coast, wth most living in the bushy areas around Kenilworth and Peachester.
He couldn't hide his frustration and said governments appeared to be doing nothing as koalas faced extinction.
"Queensland is only 150 years old, but in the blink white man has wiped out the koala," he said.
Last week he rescued six koalas in one day. Only one of those was likely to survive.
"Out of 14 we rescue, probably only two get to go home," Ray said.
"It is vandalism. There is a time when you won't see a koala in south-east Queensland and the government is doing nothing. Koalas are in a diabolical state, but they're not getting any help."
The twins take most of the injured koalas to Australia Zoo's Wildlife Hospital.
A hospital spokeswoman said since becoming operational in 2003, the hospital had treated "over 4477 koalas from all over south-east Queensland and northern NSW".
"With koala numbers in south-east Queensland experiencing a rapid decline, this statistic is alarming for their sustainability," she said.
The twins have written to politicians and have secured a meeting with Member for Glasshouse Andrew Powell on September 1.
While Australians appear to be sitting on their hands, foreign journalists are waking up to the crisis.
British photographer Richard Sowersby, working on behalf of BBC TV, travelled to the Sunshine Coast to witness first-hand the efforts of the Chambers twins.
Since returning home, Mr Sowersby told the rescue service he was "surprised and saddened at the horrendous state of our country's iconic symbol."
Radiation improves odds for baby koala
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
11 August 2011
A BRAVE baby koala has undergone radiation treatment to cure a rare and debilitating disease.
Two-year-old Sprinkles cannot survive in the wild due to her sialosis, which causes her salivary glands to be hyperactive making her drool uncontrollably.
It stops her from eating normally, and the excess drool has caused dermatitis on her tiny body.
Radiation treatment on Tuesday at the Brisbane Veterinary Specialist Centre should reduce the size of her salivary glands, and stop the excessive flow.
BVSC founder Dr Rod Straw said Sprinkles will head in for a second dose of radiation next week and may need another within a month.
The debilitating disease has been the latest trial in the rough life of the tiny koala. She has been in the care of Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for the past year after her mother was hit and killed by a car on the Warrego Highway.
Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital veterinarian Dr Amber Gillett said she had only ever seen two other cases of excessive drooling in her six years of treating koalas.
"The long-term outlook for Sprinkles was uncertain at first, but with the support of BVSC the future for Sprinkles is brighter," she said.
Cranky Corky heads for a full recovery after close shave with dogs
News source: Courier Mail
12 August
By Kristin Shorten
CORKY the cranky koala wants to know who let the dogs out.
The bitten, battered and bandaged male underwent follow-up surgery to remove a tube from his skull yesterday after being mauled by a dog at Tallebudgera, in the Gold Coast hinterland, last week.
Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital veterinarian Amber Gillett said Corky was covered in saliva and had sustained critical injuries to the top of his head, base of his skull and abdomen when admitted on Friday.
"He's a bit of a cranky pants, which you'd kind of expect if you've come across a dog," she said.
Dr Gillett said the six-year-old's injuries were the worst the hospital had seen inflicted by a domestic pet.
"He was lucky - if he'd been left any longer (before treatment) he wouldn't have made it," she said.
Corky underwent a four-hour operation on Friday to repair the tear in his abdomen and insert a drainage tube into his head.
The tube was removed from the 6.5kg koala, but not before a serious stand-off with Dr Gillett as she tried to anaesthetise him.
"He's got a very cute personality but he wanted to bite me this morning," she said.
Dr Gillett said Corky would be tagged and chipped before his eventual release into the wild.
Media Update - Koala Joey 'Frodo'
19 November 2010
On Friday 5 November a late night call was received by the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital from a member of the public near Kenilworth reporting an injured koala joey. The koala joey was transported to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital by the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit where veterinarian Dr Amber Gillett was waiting to assess the youngster. Assessment revealed the joey had sustained a fractured skull and significant damage to the stomach and intestines as result of result of being shot with what appears to be the spray of a shot gun. X-rays revealed approximately 15 pellets scattered throughout her body.
Frodo has undergone two series of surgery in an attempt to remove pellets from her body. Dr Amber Gillett was able to remove seven pellets from various parts of her body, one of which was located in the skull throughout the two surgeries.
On Friday 19 November, a media call was scheduled to discuss the condition of Frodo as Dr Amber was happy with her progress and felt she was healthy enough to face cameras.
"Frodo is a very alert little girl and has been moving around freely by herself, we have transferred Frodo into a larger enclosure within the Intensive Care Unit of the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. We are happy with her progress and will transfer her to an outside enclosure with other koala joeys," Dr Amber said.
Frodo still has a long way to go, sustaining these injuries as a 2kg koala makes the road to recovery tougher. The biggest worry at the moment is still the possibility that she may succumb to lead toxicity as some of those pellets are remaining in her intestinal tract.
"The lead pellets are still a concern, although at this stage there is no evidence that poisoning has occurred, it is still our highest priority and will continue to be monitored."
"I expect Frodo to remain in care for a minimum of six to eight months or until she has reached pre-release size of 4kg." Amber continued.
Due to overwhelming public concern, Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors have set up an Everyday Hero page for Frodo and others like her in care at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.
To help Frodo please donate to the link below.
http://www.everydayhero.com.au/frodo
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Better the devil you know and help to protect, says Bindi
News source: The Courier Mail
17 May 2010
By Glenis Green
SUNSHINE Coast wildlife warrior Bindi Irwin turned devil's advocate yesterday to mark the birthday of Australia Zoo's oldest Tasmanian devil and back fundraising for more research to save the marsupials from the deadly facial tumours that have been decimating he species.
Dressed to match the zoo's Black and White Day in support of the devils, it was relaxed and knowledgeable Bindi who cavorted with matriarch marsupial Jinki and cut the animal's giant banana birthday cake.
"She's ... seven years old, which is very exciting because it's unusual for devils to live that long ... but she can't actually have any cake," Bindi said.
Bindi said the idea behind Black and White Day and a week of Tasmanian devil-themed activities at the zoo was to raise funds to help prevent the very real threat of the animal's extinction.
The zoo's head of natival animals, Tammy Forge, yesterday announced the successful breeding of two of the attraction's captive devils.
The baby is due to be born within 21 days and then emerge from the pouch in three to four months. Ms Forge said devil facial tumour disease was now killing wild devils so rapidly it was predicted the species could become extinct in the wild within 15 years if nothing was done to reverse the spread of the highly contagious cancer.
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Triumph as Mumford is returned to the wild
News source: The Noosa Journal
15 April 2010
By Liz Moore
IN some welcome good news for Noosa's koala population, a healthy rehabilitated three-ear-old male has been returned to the wild in Peregian Beach.
the animal had been treated for conjunctivitis at the Australian Wildlife Hospital for more than two months.
During a period in which six of its local counterparts died on our roads and a the hands fo untreated diseases, the koalas - named Mumford after English band Mumford & Sons - won the hearts of staff at the Beerwah hospital with his resilience.
The young koala was found with a noticeably red eye on Tuesday, February 2, in a driveway in Peregian Beach on the western side of the David Low Way. He was 5.3kg.
For 45 days, the hospital treated the native marsupial for the eye-infecting chlamydial diseasea under the care of vet Robyn Stenner.
Dr Stenner continued to monitor Mumford for two weeks post-treatment before he was given a totally clean bill of health weighing in at 5.8kg, and plans were made for his release.
Late last week, the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit delivered the koala to carefully chosen habitat not far from where he was found two months earlier.
Noosa koala campaigner Rhonda Quinn, local residents Mike Perrett and Lyn Bollen were waiting to welcome back one the of the region's most endangered residents.
"It's rather an honour," Mike said after watching Mumford climb a swamp mahogany tree in his verdant backyard.
"We used to have lots and lots and lots of koalas," he said. "We'd hear them all night and see them quite often."
Rhonda said Mumford was one of only four koalas, out of 18 rescues, that she had been able to return to the region.
The Australian Wildlife Hospital is open 24 hours.
YOU CAN HELP
At least five Noosa koalas have died of disease since February. You can help.
Coast-based koala expert and vet Jon Hanger is leading a research team investigating koala diseases.
"Research into diseases in wildlife is notoriously underfunded," Dr Hanger said.
"We cannot afford to sit on our hands and hope that koala populations will survive these epidemics.
"The koala disease epidemic is just as devastating but we know very little about it.
"We can choose to do nothing or we, as a nation, can come together and help fund research to save the koala."
Play your part and help return these wonderful creatures to good health.
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Australia Zoo honours The Veronicas
News source: AAP
2 April 2010
Twin pop stars The Veronicas have been acknowledged for their wildlife conservation efforts by Australia Zoo.
Terri Irwin, wife of the late Steve Irwin, named Jess and Lisa Origliasso as Australia Zoo's Wildlife Warriors for 2010 at a VIP breakfast on Thursday.
Seven-year-old Chloe Tsangaris, of Brisbane, was also named a Wildlife Warrior for having raised close to $20,000 for the Sunshine Coast tourist attraction's wildlife projects during 2008 and 2009.
The Veronicas have been ambassadors for the Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors program since 2006 and have helped raise awareness of its wildlife projects.
They are also heavily involved in raising awareness of Steve Irwin Day held in memory of the crocodile hunter who died on September 4, 2006 from a stingray barb to the chest.
"It is such an honour to be involved with an organisation that is so passionate and proactive within wildlife conservation," the pop duo said in a statement.
More than 400 people attended the event, which also celebrated the zoo's 40th anniversary.
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Australia Zoo celebrates its 40th
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
1 April 2010
By Mark Furler
AUSSIE singing sisters the Veronicas and a seven-year-old girl who raised almost $20,000 for conservation have been named Australia Zoo's Wildlife Warriors for 2010.
Terri Irwin today recognised the efforts of the next generation of Wildlife Warriors by honouring Jess and Lisa Origliasso, and young Chloe Tsangaris.
The awards were presented at Australia Zoo's VIP Breakfast attended by over 400 supporters who shared in the 40th birthday celebration for the award-winning Beerwah tourist attraction.
Terri particularly paid tribute to Steve Irwin's parents Bob and Lyn, who started the wildlife park in 1970 and rain it for 22 years before it was taken over by Steve and Terri in 1992.
Chloe, of Brisbane, is a passionate Joey Ambassador and the highest individual fundraiser for Steve Irwin Day both in 2008 and in 2009, having raised close to $20,000 for conservation projects.
The Veronicas were given the gong for their passion for wildlife around the world, including as Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors ambassadors.
They are also heavily involved in raising awareness of Steve Irwin Day held in memory of the crocodile hunter who died on September 4, 2006 from a stingray barb to the chest.
"It is such an honour to be involved with an organisation that is so passionate and proactive within wildlife conservation," the pop duo said in a statement.
Guests at this year's VIP breakfast were given an exclusive look at historical memorabilia that has helped to shape the Zoo's culture and success.
Terri Irwin told guests the Zoo planned to expand into the US market by establishing a new zoo in Las Vegas, to spread the conservation message to the 37 million people visiting the gambling mecca each year.
She said that would be followed by the expansion of the Beerwah facility which would include a resort for 300 to 350 people.
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Take a break and help out
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
20 March 2010
By Chris Whiting
If you want to make socially responsible choices before you travel, you can choose eco-friendly destinations or offset the carbon emissions from your flight.
Or you can choose to help out your local community and Australian charities when you select your next holiday.
A charity of your choice will receive 10% of the total booking amount if you book a holiday through the new Holiday for a Good Cause website.
It is as easy as clicking a button on the website to select a charity, as you pick where you want to travel.
The www.holidaysforagoodcause.com.au website offers a range of discounted accommodation at holiday hotspots around Australia and New Zealand.
The website is the first of its kind in Australia.
It was launched last month by LeisureCom Travel Group, an Australian online discount travel provider.
LeisureCom Travel Group business development manager Dan Berman said the company had decided to create the website because it wanted to give back to the community.
He said LeisureCom had come up with different ideas about how to help out local charities, and thought it made sense to use its own travel industry expertise.
"People do take holidays, and at the same time, this website gives them a chance to feel good about themselves." Mr Berman said.
Money raised goes to charities including Starlight Children's Foundation, Guide Dogs Queensland, Paradise Kids, Fred Hollows Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis, Surfaid International, Red Cross, Wildlife Warriors, and COTA which represents the interests of older Australians.
LeisureCom chose charities working for a good cause, which were reputable and had a solid following, Mr Berman said.
Mr Berman could not estimate how much would be raised, but he hoped the total would be in excess of tens-of-thousands of dollars each year.
"It's a new initiative, and very early days," he said.
Prospective travellers using the website have a choice of about 280 resorts around Australia and New Zealand, with a possible 400 extra destinations available within two months.
An Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors spokesperson said the charity was thrilled to be one of the partner charities for the Holidays for a Good Cause program.
The funds would be used to continue helping wildlife within Australia and around the world.
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Chloe's a top Warrior
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
13 March 2010
OUT of thousands of fundraisers around the world, Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors have announced a Brisbane girl as the highest individual fundraiser for Steve Irwin Day 2009. Seven-year-old Chloe Tsangaris won the title, and USA-based cereal company Post Cereals won the group award. They collectively raised a total of $34,000, which will go towards Wildlife Warriors wildlife conservation projects.
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One fin down, but Minka's free
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
13 February 2010
By Anne-Louise Brown
MINKA is one brave amputee.
After being discovered entangled in a crab pot at Redcliffe, Minka, a green turtle, suffered extensive injuries to one of her fins.
She was admitted to the Australia Zoo Australian Wildlife Hospital clinging to life.
Because of the damage to her fin, veterinarians had to amputate it.
But she bounced back.
This week, fitted with a satellite tracker, Minka was released back into the wild by Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin.
Her progress and travel routes will be tracked by the zoo, University of Queensland researchers and the Department of Environment and Reseource Management.
Minka is the second turtle being tracked as part of the zoo's turtle release program.
The first was Rafael, a male loggerhead turtle, who, since his release in June last year, has been cruising the water around Moreton Bay and Stradbroke Island.
"We have been tracking Rafael's movements over the past seven months and have been impressed with his progress," said Brian Coulter, head of the Australia Zoo rescue unit.
"The ability to track Minka, who is a different species of turtle to Rafael, will be a further boost for this turtle research program."
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Mum Meryl goes home again
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
11 February 2010
By Anne-Louise Brown
AFTER being shot in the leg and losing her infant son, Meryl the koala has finally had some good luck.
She has been released back into the wild.
Meryl and her nine-month-old joey, Doug, were admitted to Beerwah's Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors Hospital last month after both had been shot with a slug gun on a property near Morayfield, south of the Sunshine Coast.
They were found clinging to life at the base of a gum tree.
Meryl, named after the wife of one of her rescuers, suffered a leg wound and recovered quickly after the pellet was removed.
However, Doug died after an operation to remove two pellets from his chest and abdomen.
Hospital staff have high hopes Meryl will live a prosperous life in the wild.
"We are extremely glad to have released Meryl back to her home," said Gail Gipp, manager of the hospital.
"Her recovery is part of the incredible work that is performed at the hospital, and while every effort was made to save Doug, it is nothing short of the work we put in to save every single patient we receive every single day."
The Department of Environment and Resources Management is continuing its investigation into the shootings.
Anyone with information should call the DERM on 1300 130 372 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Illness curtails koala capers for fans
News source: Courier Mail
4 February 2010
By Brian Williams
PANDA, the Redlands koala who has 12,500 Facebook fans, is sick.
Panda has chlamydia and is being treated at the Australia Zoo wildlife hospital on the Sunshine Coast.
The orphan, who was saved last year by wildlife carers, is now in the same trouble as thousands of other koalas that have died out in the Redlands and surrounding areas.
Koala numbers have been hit by tree clearing, road hits, dog attacks and diseases such as chlamydia, an illness brought on by stress as their habitat disappears.
Panda was orphaned as a baby and spent six months with wildlife carers before being fitted with a tracking device and released.
Panda's condition was discovered after routine monitoring.
He was caught on the weekend and taken to Australia Zoo.
The tracking device allows Panda's Facebook friends, some as far afield as Britain and Turkey, to keep track of him as he moves through the remnant forest. Redland City Mayor Melva Hobson said yesterday she was saddened by Panda's illness but not surprised.
"While koalas can live with it in their system and remain healthy in many cases, particularly when a koala is stressed, it causes problems such as conjunctivitis and cystitis."
Panda is on antibiotics and will be released soon. To become Panda's friend search for Pan Da Koala on www.facebook.com
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Hunt on for baby koala's assassins
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
26 January 2010
AAP
AUTHORITIES are doorknocking homes and sending letters to residents in the hunt for the person who shot a baby koala and his mother at Morayfield.
Doug, a koala joey, died last Friday as vets operated to remove slug gun pellets from his body.
His mother Meryl, who was also shot is recovering well and is expected to be released into the wild later this week.
"Meryl would have realised the absence of her joey Doug and that he was not going to return to her," said the Australian Wildlife Hospital, which is caring for Meryl at Beerwah.
"Meryl has gone through a traumatic time with the loss of her joey, but she is recovering extremely well otherwise and we are hoping to release her later this week."
RSPCA inspector Travis Cooper and officers from Queensland's department of environment and resource management have distributed letters to residents in the Morayfield area, calling for information that may help the inquiry.
Doorknocks were also being conducted in the area.
Mr Cooper said he was determined to see those responsible held to account. Even if the offender was a minor, charges would still be laid, he said.
Authorities have determined that Doug was probably shot from the front and above at close range, meaning he was likely to have been on the ground at the time.
It's believed up to 10 days passed between the shooting and when the koalas were found.
Anyone with information should call Mr Cooper on 0417 793 207.
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Koala autopsy outrage
News source: Sunday Mail
24 January 2010
By Kathleen Donaghey
AN autopsy performed on baby koala Doug shows his killer executed the defenceless animal at close range with an air rifle.
Veterinarians believe the trigger was pulled by a person who stood over Doug after shooting his mother, Meryl.
The dehydrated joey, who was losing blood, and his mother suffered immense pain for 10 days until found at the base of a tree in Morayfield, north of Brisbane, on Tuesday.
The baby animal's body will be buried in the memorial garden at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast tomorrow. He died during emergency surgery on Friday.
His mother is recovering from her gunshot wounds and is expected to be released into the wild next week.
Doug's autopsy results yesterday sparked even further outrage among animal advocates, who stepped up calls for the killer to be found.
Sustainability Minister Kate Jones described the attack as both gutless and horrifically cruel.
Australia Zoo hospital staff were shocked to learn how close the callous shooter was when the gun was fired.
Zoo hospital manager Gail Gipp said the person was no more than 2m away when he or she took aim at the joey on the ground.
The maximum penalty for harming koalas is $300,000 or two years' imprisonment.
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This wildlife lover in for long haul
News source: Courier Mail
23 January 2010
By Glenis Green
OUT west they call him the snake whisperer, but there's a softer side to Ivan Edney.
The nuggety 63-year-old has spent his life rescuing the rehabilitating sick and injured wildlife.
And while reptiles are his passion, this week he also saved a baby brush-tailed possum.
It was the sixth wild animal in 10 days Mr Edney had driven to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital on the Sunshine Coast from his home at remote Columboola, between Miles and Chinchilla. That's a round trip of almost 1000km - not bad for a bloke who's suffered several heart attacks.
"People tell me I'm mad, but I love looking after all wild animals," he said.
Mr Edney, once a celebrated snake catcher in Brisbane, bought his Columboola property six years ago.
His work with wildlife has been voluntary, but that will change today with the Western Downs Regional Council putting him on the payroll.
The only cloud on his horizon is the push for a new coalmining project that could swallow up his and his neighbours' properties and threaten wildlife. Now he plans to go to TAFE to brush up on his legal skills to fight the mining plan.
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Furry friend digs deep for Dougie
News source: Courier Mail
22 January 2010
By Brian Williams
DOUGIE the koala, the tiny victim of a senseless shooting north of Brisbane this week, has been given the elixir of life from a furry friend - a blood transfusion.
Cody - a healthy three-legged, three-year-old koala at Australia Zoo - donated 100mm of blood that has helped save Dougie's life.
Cody ended up at the zoo's hospital after being attacked by a dog and losing a leg. Hospital manager, Gail Gipp said yesterday the blood was a critical boost.
"We have this healthy boy here, so we knocked him out to get some blood for Dougie," Ms Gipp said.
Dougie's mum is recovering well from being shot in the leg and is being milked by hospital staff, who are throwing everything at saving her three to four-month-old son.
"There's been a slight improvement with Dougie today," Ms Gipp said. "He's still critical but stable and he's feeding much better. He's gained about 25g in weight."
Dougie and his mum were found, wounded, on Tuesday at Morayfield. Staff hope Dougie will today be strong enough for an operation to remove slugs from his chest and abdomen. Milking his mother will ensure her milk production keeps up for when the pair are reunited.
Ms Gipp said that even after they had been kept apart for a couple of weeks, the maternal bond would not be broken and the mother and son would recognise each other.
Staff also hope that in a year or so, Dougie will be back in the bush and weighing about 6kg, just like his new mate Cody.
Opposition environmental spokesman Glen Elmes said the sickening shooting of Dougie and his mum, and the skinning of a dog earlier this week at Tin Can Bay, underlined the need for tougher penalties for acts of cruelty as well as enforcement.
"Police need to catch those involved and bring them to court, and for courts to impose maximum penalties," Mr Elmes said.
Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said the perpetrator faced a maximum penalty of $300,000 or two years' imprisonment.
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Shot baby koala fights for his life
News source: Bribie Weekly
22 January 2010
By Cath Fouracre
A BABY koala weighing less than one kilogram will go under the surgeron's knife today to extract two gun pellets from his tiny body.
The joey named Doug has a pellet lodged in his abdomen and one in his chest. His mum Meryl has a pellet in her right leg.
The mum and joey were shot several days ago on a property at Morayfield in a sickending attack which is being investigated by the police, the RSPCA and the EPA.
Vets at the Australian Wildlife Hospital at Australia Zoo placed the tiny furry mite into an induced coma on Tuesday while they tried to prepare him for the surgery.
Moreton Bay Koala Rescue Service president Anika Leymann said a shocked and upset resident of J. Dobson Street rang the rescue service early Tuesday about an injured koala that appeared to have fallen some metres from its mother's back at the top of a gumtree.
"When we got there we found the koala being nursed by the woman on the property," she said.
"He appeared lethargic and it was thought he might have pneumonia as he was barely moving."
Ms Leymann said they contacted the Wildlife Warriors rescue team who came down to check out the baby.
"While this was going on the mum just watched from the tree-top," she said.
"We had now given the little fella a nickname - Doug after his rescuer."
Ms Leymann said the vets first thought he might have pneumonia and it was only when they got him to the hospital and did some X-Rays they made the shocking discovery that two gun pellets were lodged in his little body.
Ms Leymann said it was felt that he might have been hit up to two days ago.
She said the RSPCA and the EPA as well as the police had been contacted and an investigation was underway.
The joey's mum called Meryl had also been taken to the hospital, where it was discovered she had a pellet in her right leg.
A spokesman for the Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors said the joey was quickly anaesthetized and assessed by one of the vets at the hospital.
"He was found to be significantly underweight, dehydrated and had considerable respiratory problems requiring intubation and assisted ventilation," the spokesman said.
The joey requires the surgery to remove the pellets and to repair the associated damage.
Climate change and sustainability minister Kate Jones described the shooting of the joey and his mum as a sick and cruel act.
The department is investigating and has already interviewed the property owners who reported the shooting.
"Harming a koala is a serious offence under Section 88 of the Nature Conservation ACT 1992 with a maximum penalty of $300,000 or two years imprisonment."
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Koala’s life in the balance
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
21 January 2010
By Anne-Louise Brown
AN intricate maze of cords criss-crosses over the tiny body on the table.
The prognosis is not good.
He has two bullet wounds, pneumonia and a serious chest infection, and can not breathe without the help of a ventilator.
He is Doug, a tiny 900 gram koala joey who was callously shot and left to die at Morayfield, near Caboolture.
Doug was discovered clinging to life with his mother, Meryl, on Tuesday.
His life is in the balance but, using all their expertise, staff at Australia Zoo’s Wildlife Warriors Australian Wildlife Hospital hope they can pull him through.
Right now, it is 50-50, said hospital general manager Gail Gipp, who spoke yesterday of her disgust at the cowardly attack.
“For a koala joey, being shot by a slug gun is like a human being shot by a handgun. It’s horrific,” Ms Gipp said.
“If a person can do this to an animal they could easily do it to a human.
“I hope, if they catch who did this, it goes all the way. An example needs to be made of people like this so others think twice about torturing animals.”
A full-scale investigation into Doug’s shooting has been launched. If apprehended, the perpetrators could face a $300,000 fine and two years in jail.
Doug will undergo surgery tomorrow to remove the pellets, which are lodged in his stomach and near his spine.
His mother, who was shot once in the leg, is recovering well.
It is hoped that by Sunday Doug will be well enough to suckle from his mother.
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Surgery delay for koala shot with slug gun
News source: Townsville Bulletin
21 January 2010
SURGERY on Doug, the baby koala shot with a slug gun, has been delayed until tomorrow to ensure he’s strong enough to face the operation.
Vets at the Australian Wildlife Hospital at Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast had hoped to operate yesterday to remove two slugs lodged in his tiny body. But the surgery has been pushed back so there’s more time for the joey’s condition to stabilise.
X-ray images show he has two slugs lodged in his body – one under his ribs and one in his lower abdomen.
Doug’s mum, Meryl, who was also shot during the attack, has already had one slug removed from her body and will make a full recovery.
The two injured animals were found on a Morayfield property north of Brisbane on Tuesday, sparking a hunt of the person responsible.
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Doug clinging to life after ‘sick’ attack
News source: Courier Mail
21 January 2010
By Brian Williams
THE baby koala shot in the chest and abdomen in a “sick and cruel attack” was too weak to face surgery yesterday.
Wildlife carers were shocked on Tuesday when called to help the baby koala at Morayfield, north of Brisbane, to find that it had been shot by an air rifle.
The tiny joey’s mother had also been shot in the leg.
Veterinarians at Australia Zoo animal hospital successfully operated on the mother yesterday, but the joey – named after the man who found him – was considered too sick for surgery until at least tomorrow.
Veterinarians said he was weak, underweight, dehydrated and had respiratory problems.
He had lost considerable blood and was given a transfusion.
“He is currently receiving intravenous antibiotics, fluids, supplemental oxygen and pain relief,” hospital manager Gail Gipp said. “His situation is still critical.”
Ms Gipp said it was “extremely sad” that somebody would want to shoot a koala, especially with their declining population, while Sustainability Minister Kate Jones described the shooting as a sick and cruel act.
“I’m absolutely disgusted,” she said.
The perpetrator faces a maximum penalty of $300,000 or two years’ imprisonment.
Anyone with information should call 1300 130 372 or contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Shot koala fights for life
News source: Townsville Bulletin
20 January 2010
A BABY koala is fighting for his life in a wildlife hospital after both he and his mother were shot with a slug-gun in southeast Queensland.
The koala joey was found at the base of a tree north of Brisbane yesterday.
Believed to be only three or four months old, he was taken to the Australian Wildlife Hospital for X-rays, which showed two slug-gun pellets in his body.
The RSPCA says the joey has a 50/50 chance of survival.
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SHOT TWICE – Baby koala fights for life
News source: Adelaide Advertiser
20 January 2010
A BABY koala is fighting for its life in a wildlife hospital after being shot with a slug-gun in southeast Queensland.
The koala joey was found at the base of a tree at a Morayfield property, north of Brisbane, yesterday morning.
Believed to be only three or four months old, it was taken to the Australian Wildlife Hospital for X-rays, which showed two slug-gun pellets in its body, one in the abdomen.
The RSPCA says the joey has only a 50/50 chance of survival.
A volunteer said the joey’s mother was retrieved from the tree and also taken to the hospital.
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Joey shot twice – Koala in fight to survive
News source: Cairns Post
20 January 2010
A BABY koala was fighting for his life in a wildlife hospital after both he and his mother were shot with a slug-gun in southeast Queensland.
The koala joey was found at the base of a tree at a Morayfield property north of Brisbane yesterday morning.
Believed to be only three or four months old, he was taken to the Australian Wildlife Hospital for X-rays, which showed two slug-gun pellets in his body.
The RSPCA says the joey has a 50/50 chance of surviving his injuries.
The joey, named Doug after one of his rescuers, will require surgery to remove the pellets and repair the associated damage once his condition stabilises.
Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors said Doug was receiving intravenous antibiotics, fluids, supplemental oxygen and pain relief.
But he was still in a critical condition.
Doug’s mother, named Meryl, was also brought in to the Australian Wildlife Hospital.
She was shot in the right leg.
The pellet was removed from Meryl yesterday and she was in a stable condition.
Australian Wildlife Hospital general manager Gail Gipp assured the public that everything possible will be done to provide the koalas with the best veterinary care.
“It is extremely sad that somebody would want to shoot a koala, especially when their population is already in serious decline,” she said.
Moreton Bay Koala Rescue volunteer Sue Oerlemans was one of the rescuers.
“The joey was very quiet and very sleepy and we knew that something wasn’t right,” Ms Oerlemans said.
“Once the vet assessed it and found it had pneumonia and two slug-gun pellets in it we then wanted to get the mother down from the tree, who was 30m up the tree.”
Ms Oerlemans said the joey could have fallen about 30m and been lying on the ground for several days, catching pneumonia.
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Joey shot out of tree with rifle
News source: Courier Mail
20 January 2010
By Brian Williams
WILDLIFE carers were stunned yesterday when called to attend to a sick baby koala, only to find that it had been shot with an air rifle.
The 940g joey was found at the bottom of a tree at Morayfield, north of Brisbane. Its mother was in the tree.
Moreton Bay Koala Rescue volunteers retrieved the joey and its mother and took them to the Australia Zoo wildlife hospital on the Sunshine Coast.
After taking x-rays, veterinarians deemed the joey too ill to survive an operation. It has been stabilized and although its future is grim, if it recovers sufficiently the pellets will be removed perhaps today or tomorrow.
Rescue spokeswoman Anika Lehmann said the mother also had been shot in the leg.
“This is something we get towards the end of the school holidays,” Ms Lehmann said.
“Children seem to get bored and do things like this. It makes me really mad.
“I can’t believe people would want to injure an animal like that.”
RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty appealed to residents with information to either contact Crime Stoppers or the RSPCA cruelty complaint hotline on 1300 852 188.
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Shot baby koala fights for life
News source: Herald Sun
20 January 2010
A BABY koala found lying at the base of a tree had pellets from a slug gun it its body, vets say.
The joey, no more than four months old, is fighting for its life in the Australian Wildlife Hospital after being rescued from Morayfield, north of Brisbane, yesterday.
The RSPCA says the joey, which fell from its tree after being shot, has only a 50 per cent survival chance.
Chief inspector Michael Pecic said: “The perpetrators may have been juveniles. This type of cruelty will not be tolerated.”
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Hideous cruelty deserves jail time
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
20 January 2010
OUR koala population has enough problems to deal with without also having to cope with idiots like the one who performed a hideous act in Morayfield sometime in the past two days.
A heartless thug left a baby koala, weighing less than one kilogram, fighting for his life after he, and his mother, were shot at.
The injured koala, who has been given the nickname Doug in honour of one of his rescue team, appears to have fallen some metres from his mother’s back.
When he was taken to the Australian Wildlife Hospital at Australia Zoo, X-rays showed two slug-gun pellets in his body, one in the abdomen.
The perpetrators of the cruel act have yet to be found, but are believed to be juveniles.
An investigation is under way.
If the guilty parties are caught, the RSPCA is calling for the courts to provide a “very clear message that this type of cruelty will simply not be tolerated”.
The RSPCA says there is ample evidence that animal cruelty at an early age can lead to other forms of violence and abuse down the track.
Anyone who loves one of our nation’s favourite animals, already under threat because of the continual loss of their habitat thanks to residential development, would heartily agree that jail time would be the best penalty.
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Slug gun cowards shoot koalas
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
20 January 2010
A BABY koala is fighting for his life in a wildlife hospital after he and his mother were shot with a slug gun in southeast Queensland.
The koala joey was found at the base of a tree at a Morayfield property north of Brisbane yesterday morning.
Believed to be only three or four months old, he was taken to the Australian Wildlife Hospital for x-rays, which showed two slug gun pellets in his body, one in the abdomen.
The RSPCA said the joey had a 50% chance of survival.
The joey, named Doug after one of his rescuers, will require surgery to remove the pellets and repair the damage once his condition stabilises.
Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors said Doug was receiving intravenous antibiotics, fluids, oxygen and pain relief. However, his situation remains critical.
Doug’s mother, named Meryl, was also brought to the hospital, with a slug pellet in her leg. The pellet was removed and Meryl’s condition was said to be stable.
The department of environment and resource management and an RSPCA inspector will investigate the koala shootings.
The maximum penalty for adults charged with animal cruelty is $300,000 and two years in jail.
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Christmas in hospital more than this koala can bear
News source: The Courier-Mail
12 January 2010
By James O'Loan
BURMAN the koala spent Christmas with 88 other koalas - and like him, many had been struck by cars or bitten by dogs.
Carer's at Beerwah's Australian Wildlife Hospital said they were shocked by the huge intake on injured koalas this Christmas.
Vanda Grabowski, one of a handful of Queenslanders who help nurse the joeys back to health before their release, yesterday pleaded with governments to stop clearing koala habitats.
"It's the healthiest koalas that suffer most from road trauma and dog attacks because they're the most active," she said.
"Because we're clearing so much land and the distance between trees is so vast now, they have to cross roads.
"Burman was hit by a car in Capalaba and suffered internal bleeding. His mother has never been found."
When Burman's health improves he will be sent back to the animal hospital.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife officers will then probably release him within 5km of the crash site, in line with current government policy.
The new world he will confront will have fewer trees, fewer friends and more disease.
Conservationists had estimated about 2000 koalas remained in the Redlands in 2007, a 67 per cent drop in just six years.
Rapid decline of koala populations have also been reported throughout Pine Rivers, Moreton Bay and the Gold and Sunshine coasts.
Ms Grabowski pleaded with motorists to slow down in semi-rural and rural areas and for pet owners to restrain their dogs and cats at night.
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Blair survives thanks to zoo staff
News source: Sunshine Coast Daily
6 January 2010
By Sarah Crawford
STAFF members at Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital were never so pleased to see the backside of a koala scuttling up a gum tree as they were yesterday.
Blair is probably the luckiest or the most unlucky koala in the bush, depending on your perspective.
In the past year and half he has been brought to Australia Zoo three times in a critical condition and been nursed back to health.
Brave Blair first came to the hospital in June 2008 after he had been mauled by a dog. He was in a critical condition suffering shock, fractured ribs, a fractured clavicle and other trauma.
Two months later, after around-the-clock veterinary care, Blair made a full recovery and he was released back to his own territory in the Cleveland area.
But three months later, Blair was struck by a vehicle while trying to cross a busy road. He arrived at the hospital in a critical condition, suffering shock and trauma to his left elbow. This time, Blair spent two-and-a-half months in care and was nursed back to full health.
Not six months after he returned to the wild, Blair was again hit by a car in the same area.
Hospital staff has spent the past six months treating his injuries, which included a dislocated hip.
Now, Blair has been given the green light to return to the wild, and staff hopes they will never again see the accident-prone koala.
A radio-tracking device has been put on the adventurous creature to monitor his survival in the wild.
Staff also gained permission to place the koala in another area - far from those busy roads.
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Visit In The Media - 2009
