A state-wide picture of koala rescue and rehabilitation in New South Wales during the 2019–2020 bushfires

Abstract

Koala rescue from the bushfires over the extended 2019–2020 fire season in NSW was a high-profile media topic over many months. We sought to determine how many fire-affected koalas were rescued and admitted to rehabilitation in NSW, what was the fate of these koalas, what parts of the state were involved, and how many other koalas entered rehabilitation at the same time? These matters are not only of broad public interest, it is important information for the conservation and management of koalas. The fire season ended in March 2020. In June 2020 we wrote to and received replies from, the licensed rehabilitation groups in NSW that rescued koalas, seeking to quantify the impact of the 2019–2020 bushfires. The answers were: 209 koalas came into care due to the bushfires, and of these, 106 were either euthanised or died, 74 were released, and the remainder were still in care, but due for release soon. The number of koalas that came into care for reasons not related to the fires over the same time period was 307. From the point of view of each surviving individual koala, the rehabilitation was a success. What the rescue and rehabilitation has done is highlight the difficulties that koalas face in dealing with fire. This information will contribute to koala management at a local, State and Commonwealth level, particularly in relation to koala rehabilitation policies, and it will be increasingly important given the likelihood of more frequent fires.