In a heartwarming discovery at Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s (AWC) newly established Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary, an endangered koala and her tiny young joey were spotted nestled together high in the treetops.
The cuddling koalas were spotted by a thermal drone, funded by MidCoast Council and the NSW Koala Strategy, a project aimed at identifying and supporting tree-dwelling species across the 4,000-hectare protected area.
Koala cuddle discovery
Ecologists from AWC and MidCoast Council couldn't contain their excitement when the drone captured images of the mother-and-joey duo in the early morning light.
The pair were among 10 koalas detected as the drone surveyed two pre-selected sections of the sanctuary, totalling 240 hectares.
“Encountering 10 koalas is a great result,” says Andy Howe, AWC Senior Field Ecologist.
“It indicates that the koala population at Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary is robust, giving us a great platform to work from and emphasising the site’s significance as a critical refuge for the endangered species in the region.”
Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary was acquired in 2022. AWC scientists initially estimated that the area could host over 300 vertebrate species, including the elusive koala.
Early koala sightings by ecologists suggested they were present, but the full extent of the population remained unknown until now.
“We had an idea of where to search for Koalas based on early results from a bioacoustics survey we conducted at the sanctuary last year,” explains Howe.
“At the time, we had high koala calling rates in two areas within the central and north-east corner of the sanctuary."
“From the drone footage we were able to ascertain that all koalas looked healthy," says Howe.
"They had full and uniform coats of grey and bright white fur, no clouding or discharge in the eyes from conjunctivitis and no staining on the rump from chlamydia – a great sign!”
In 2022, the NSW government upgraded the conservation status of the koala. The species is now a regional priority, supported by the development of the MidCoast Koala Conservation Strategy, which will guide koala conservation and management efforts over the next five years.
Find out more about AWC’s work with koalas and other species at Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary.
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