NSW NPWS completed their Koala survey in Coolah Tops National Park in May and according to news reports found 42 individuals. These were found via “new” methods such as sniffer dogs and thermal drones, allowing more of the park to be surveyed in the limited time they had available. They have sent numerous scat samples for testing so that they can ascertain the health of the koala population found. The Environment Minister has suggested that “It might be a place, if koalas are thriving, that there is an opportunity to do relocations from other areas that are problematic.”
NSW NPWS said “Sadly, koala populations in the Liverpool Plains near Gunnedah have dramatically declined due to land clearing, habitat fragmentation, drought and koala chlamydia, which causes female infertility. This new discovery at high elevation habitat in northern inland NSW will better inform how we care for these little Aussie icons into the future.”
This is great news for Coolah Tops National Park and locals were very pleased to hear of the koala population! Next time you visit the park, remember to look up – you might just see a koala <3
If you’re on FB check out some footage from NSW NPWS here: https://fb.watch/lieiAwGWZi/