Excitement here at Lake Cooroibah.  The little village and its trees had been saved  from the recent fires.  Several days later a refugee koala visited one of our Eucalypts.  (This was the first koala we had seen in 26 years, although we know they are about in the surrounding bushland.)   The koala climbed out onto a slender branch, defying the tree climbing rescuer.

Next, the koala rescue team set up a fence around the group of trees, installed a camera, set a trap and waited. On the second night she came down, thought the trap was a gateway to safety and was caught. The rescuers relocated her to dense bushland some distance away.

We asked why she couldn’t make a new home in our community. We were told that our village was full of dogs and she wouldn’t last a day on the ground. The camera footage confirmed the number of unleashed dogs walking around investigating the fence at night.

So a lesson was learned. Koalas in trees are fine, they get moisture from the leaves. But they climb down to graze in the next group of trees. So, in the suburbs and near roads, they are in danger.

Take care what you encourage.