Camelot loves Koalas
The devastating fires in Australia, as you may know, hit close to home for our Camelot Kids family as our director, Renae Plant, was born and raised in a small town in Australia.
The small town is Noosa Heads, a coastal town and suburb of the Shire of Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Renae and her family were on holiday over the Christmas and New Years break and saw all too closely the heartbreak throughout the region. She and her family came home with a deep desire to give back, they quickly decided to involve the school and adopt a koala in need for each Camelot Kids classroom.
Thank you to the Koala Hospital Port Macquarie New South Wales, Australia / Koala Preservation Society Australia Incorporated for the work they do!
Meet the Koalas!
Lion Leo
In early September 2019 a home owner found a young male koala in the backyard with her dogs and was concerned the koala may have been attacked. Our rescue team was despatched, and the young koala was captured. On examination at the Koala Hospital, staff were pleased to find he only had a laceration on one foot. They also found he had amazing, beautiful blue eyes. This is a rare genetic phenomenon in koalas who occasionally do get admitted to the hospital having one blue eye and one brown eye but not both.
The Koala Hospital has been working with the Lions Club of Port Macquarie-Tacking Point in putting together the Koala Smart program for schools throughout the Hastings and Macleay Valleys. The Koala Smart program is about getting students to come up with ways to reverse the decline in koalas on the mid north coast and then to implement these projects into the real world with the support of the Koala Hospital and Lions. The results so far have been amazing. The Koala Smart program is so important that our blue-eyed Koala, Lion Leo as he has been called, has become the Ambassador for the Koala Smart program.
Lion Leo is now back in his home range and who knows, in the future, we may have more blue-eyed koalas from Leo’s offspring.
LINR Anwen
This gentle young female koala was the third burns patient to be admitted from the Lake Innes fireground. Lake Innes Nature Reserve Anwen had suffered singeing to 90% of her body and radiant burns to her hindquarters. Anwen also has burns to the pads on her hands and feet.
Anwen has accepted the 5 star service at the Koala Hospital really well and loves the daily delivery of fresh leaf. Anwen has also found a perfect spot to sit in the unit that she can prop her very sore hands on so this has become “Anwens spot”.
LINR Paul
This young male koala was the first live koala to be found at the Crestwood/Lake Innes Nature Reserve fireground.
Lake Innes Nature Reserve Paul was found curled up on the burnt ground by a member of the public who brought him to the Koala Hospital.
Paul was severely dehydrated and had suffered burns to his hands and feet which usually occurs when the koala climbs down the burning trunk of the tree. His fur is also singed over 90% of his body.
Myoora Jarrah
Myoora Jarrah was found in August 2017, by the roadside where she had lost her mum. She was approximately 5 months old and weighed 425gm and after being checked she then went into homecare where she received 24 hour care, bonding well with her human mum. There she stayed until March 2018, when she was big enough to return to the hospital for dehumanising in the joey yard.
As she grew she spent more time in her pouch calling out when she needed attention and coming out every evening for playtime where she learnt to climb her gunyah. She spent the last couple of weeks mainly in the outdoor aviary before her transfer to the hospital and we are pleased to say that she is adjusting well and our job is done – now she gets to be wild and free.
Kooloonbung Tasha
In late December 2018 members of the public noticed a small joey curled up next to a tree in a reserve in Port Macquarie. The joey had blood around the neck area, so the Koala Hospital was called to come and pick up “a joey attacked by a dog”.
Once the koala was admitted, Kooloonbung Tasha was found to be infested with ticks, and not attacked by a dog. She was anaemic, and otherwise listless and generally unwell. After initial treatment at the Koala Hospital, Tasha was placed in home care where she got 24 hour treatment and care.
Tasha spent the first week sitting in a washing basket where she slept a lot and began to recover. She responded well to the medical treatment, daily fresh leaves and the three formula feeds each day which were mixed with pumpkin, sweet corn and apple. After that week she was strong enough again to climb around on small branches.
LINR Paul
This young male koala was the first live koala to be found at the Crestwood/Lake Innes Nature Reserve fire ground.
Lake Innes Nature Reserve Paul was found curled up on the burnt ground by a member of the public who brought him to the Koala Hospital.
Paul was severely dehydrated and had suffered burns to his hands and feet which usually occurs when the koala climbs down the burning trunk of the tree. His fur is also singed over 90% of his body.
And last but not least.....
Oxley Twinkles
In late 2009 a big healthy female koala was observed struggling to get across a busy highway on the outskirts of Port Macquarie, with not only an injured hind leg, but also because she had a big ball of fluff clinging onto her back. Staff brought both mother and joey into the hospital to find that the mother was well known to us in having been hit by a car two years previously at the same spot and after recovering from her injuries was released.
The mother’s name is Oxley Kaylee (also available for adoption here); her joey with the big fluffy ears we christened Oxley Twinkles as she was such a bright alert lively little koala - just like a twinkling star. Examination revealed that Oxley Kaylee had a severely dislocated leg which was not repairable and probably occurred as a result of jumping to the ground with a big joey on board. As Twinkles was doing so well with her mother, we decided to bandage Kaylee’s leg to give her good support so that Twinkles could remain with her till weaning time which wasn’t all that far away.
There are so many stories like this of animals throughout Australia. It's been heart-breaking and heart-warming all at the same time to learn about the ones we have been able to adopt for our classrooms here at Camelot Kids. We invite you to continue their stories at home as to share the value of every living thing on this incredible planet of ours.
Check out the adoption certificates for each our of furry friends here.
With gratitude -
