A koala hospital that began in the garage of its founders and went on to become a leading force in national research and conservation efforts is celebrating 50 years.
Key points:
- The hospital was established in 1973 by two local residents
- It hopes to rebuild koala populations through its breeding program across NSW
- About 200 dedicated volunteers are integral to the hospital’s success
The non-profit Port Macquarie Koala Hospital has garnered global attention after its humble beginnings on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.
Founded in 1973, the hospital was set up by local residents Jean and Max Starr after they noticed an increase in sick and wounded koalas in the area.
Cheyne Flanagan, who has worked with the hospital for 24 years, said the couple began bringing koalas back to their home despite not having a guidebook to care for them.
“It started off in the garage of June and Max’s home in the first two years,” she said.
“There were no manuals and no wildlife vets and no-one they could turn to.
“They were absolute pioneers and I really admire them for what they did.”
The couple quickly realised they needed a better-equipped space for the injured koalas and began developing a relationship with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
By 1975, a tiny shed and a couple of yards became the koala hospital’s new location.
Global spotlight during bushfires
As a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility, the hospital has treated more than 5,000 koalas, including many that were displaced and injured during the Black Summer bushfires.
Hospital chairperson Sue Ashton credits much of their global success to the work they did during the 2019-2020 bushfires.
“We were getting requests from all over the world to talk about the fires because they were so devastating,” she said.
“We were on the ground treating wildlife coming in and for that reason we became popular.”
Today, the koala hospital has increased its efforts in researching solutions to chlamydia, which is the biggest killer of wild koalas other than natural disasters.
In 2020, the hospital implemented a breeding program that Ms Ashton said was driven by the need to rebuild wild koala populations devastated by bushfires.
“Up until a few years ago we were admitting up to 350 koalas a year, and over the past seven to eight years, those numbers have gone down,” she said.
“The numbers are plummeting and it’s not that they’re healthier, it’s that there are fewer koalas around.”
Sharing research and knowledge
Ms Flanagan, who also heads the breeding and research program, said the hospital intended to share its work as far afield as possible.
“All the work we do will be recorded and we’ll make it available to others in the next five years, and we can hand over the blueprint of how you do it,” Ms Flanagan said.
“There’s nothing nicer than seeing that little fluffy bum go up a tree and take off — job done.”
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Rachael Schildkraut, a conservation officer at Taronga Conservation Society Australia, which partnered with the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital in 2020, said the koala hospital had become a leader in its field.
“On a broader state-based scale, they’ve been really fantastic in sharing that knowledge quite broadly, which is really important because it gives everyone else the tools to do strong conservation efforts for koalas,” she said.
“They’ve really paved the way with best practice for koala management and rehabilitation.
“On a local scale, without them, I don’t want to think how many koalas would have been lost in the Port Macquarie region.”
Dedicated volunteers vital to success
The success of the hospital is due, in part, to about 200 dedicated volunteers.
“The volunteers are critical to the organisation and its success,” Ms Ashton said.
“We have koala care teams, we have shop teams, we have maintenance teams, we have guides … and they’re all volunteers.”
The team at the hospital says educating visitors is critical to protecting the koala species in the future.
“We always say we like people to leave as koala ambassadors, so by the time they leave their visit here at the koala hospital, they love koalas as much as we do,” Ms Ashton said.
As for the hospital’s founders, the team is certain they are proud of all the hospital has achieved since its inception.
“I’m sure Jean and Max will be looking down and going ‘Wow’,” Ms Flanagan said.