Welcome to the Koala Hospital news page. On this page you will be able to stay uptodate and find out what is going on around the hospital.
SEAVIEW FARIDA -- Update
Some news on our latest adoption koala.
When this juvenile female koala was admitted to the Koala Hospital in August 2009, she had been savaged by a dog and had sustained significant structural damage to her right front hand. Additionally, she had a severe infection in the wound.
Though she responded well to treatment, it was initially thought that her ability to climb (an essential requirement for a koala’s survival in the wild) would be severely affected. With this in mind it was our original belief that she could not be released back into the wild and would remain a permanent resident at the Hospital.
She spent six months in smaller enclosures she was released into the large Yard 9 which contains a significant number of tall eucalypt trees. She immediately climbed high into the trees and has shown that our fears for her climbing ability had been unfounded.
Now, our veterinary advisor feels that she could now be released as she is still quite young and disease-free and so should be given the opportunity to breed and thus fulfil her role as a female koala.
Her progress will be closely monitored over the next few weeks and her future will then be reassessed.
Seaview Farida is available for adoption here.
Meet Birthday Girl at the Koala Hospital Family Fun Day
Saturday 19 September
Believed to be Australia’s oldest koala, aptly name ‘Birthday Girl’, will celebrate her 22nd year at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital on Saturday 19 September. The ‘Family Fun Day’ will be dedicated to the grand old lady with a birthday atmosphere, kid’s games, a birthday card colouring competition, cake and educational tours of her home at the Hospital.
Now in its second year the Family Fun Day has free entry for locals and visitors from 9am to 3pm. The Hospital is the only hospital in the world that is dedicated to the care of koalas – it treats and rehabilitates around 300 of our furry friends every year.
‘Birthday Girl’ is one of the Hospital’s earliest patients, turning 22 this year, but she has defied her age with mischievous escapes thanks to wonder drugs. Volunteers believe she could be Australia’s oldest koala by measurements and teeth wear. They normally live to be 15 for females and 13 for males.
‘Birthday Girl’ first came into the Hospital in 1990 for a check and relocation and returned 4 years ago in 2005 with chronic arthritis. Anti-inflammatory drugs gave her extra willpower when she “self-released” from a deemed ‘escape proof, fenced yard’, and needed a special operations ‘abseil’ rescue from a nearby tree.
The Hospital is run by volunteers and the Family Fun Day is designed to raise funds for the $180,000 costs to annually run the Hospital. This includes treatment rooms, eight intensive care units, a 24 hour rescue and treatment operation and 33 recovery yards. Visitors can meet ‘Birthday Girl’ and other koalas 7 days a week, 365 days a year from 8am to 4.30pm. Entry is free, donations accepted, and there is a daily ‘Feed, Walk and Talk’ tour at 3pm.
The Koala Hospital is located in Port Macquarie on the Mid North Coast of NSW, 4.5 hours drive from Sydney. Tourists from all over the world visit Port Macquarie’s Koala Hospital, which attracts more than 24,000 visitors a year. The ‘Adopt A Koala’ package costs AU$40 per year and includes a certificate of adoption with a photo, the name of the koala and a short story about its life. Overseas adoptions cost AU$50, a true Aussie gift for international family and friends.
The Koala Hospital, Lord St, Port Macquarie – go to www.koalahospital.org.au or call (02) 6584 1522
Image – Image courtesy of The Koala Hospital and was taken of Birthday Girl in the last couple of years. Yes, she does look good for her age.
Article from: http://port-macquarie.info/australias-oldest-koala-in-port-macquarie
