Narrandera’s iconic koalas are at the forefront of an exciting research project to assess the population, health and genetics of the free-ranging colony.

The project, led by National Parks and Wildlife Service, swung into action last month when a six-member team of specialist veterinarians, NPWS staff and a professional tree climber arrived in town to undertake field work.

The survey, funded by the NSW Koala Strategy, was led by NPWS and took place over three-and-a-half days.

The sample group of koalas came from reserves and private land.

NPWS Officer Olivia Kemp from the NPWS Koala Biodiversity and Ecological Branch said the team was looking at koala populations in NSW with key knowledge gaps on health and disease.

Ms Kemp said the objective was to obtain information to help support local communities to manage koala populations and ensure they could thrive.

The focus of the field work was to examine the health status and genetic diversity of Narrandera’s koalas.

Ms Kemp said the koalas were briefly sedated for the health checks to minimise stress.

Small samples of blood and tissue were collected to test for the presence of disease and to record the koalas’ DNA to better understand the genetic diversity of the population.

NPWS Field Officer Lee Reavley of Narrandera guided the team to koala sites and provided Aboriginal cultural information on the animals and their River Red Gum habitat.

The veterinary contingent included Charles Sturt University wildlife veterinarian, Dr Joanne Connolly who expressed her delight that the research into the Narrandera koala population had finally begun.

Dr Connolly has long advocated a need for a survey of the colony introduced to Narrandera in the 1970s.

“This baseline survey will fill a large gap in our current knowledge of NSW Koalas” she said.

The koalas were weighed and their weights, approximate age, body condition and gender recorded. Those tested ranged in weight from 4 kg to 9.3 kg

They were microchipped for tracking purposes and fitted with small colour-coded ear tags.

The double-sided tags are light weight and cannot catch on branches.

After the tests the koalas were returned to the trees they came from.

Three koalas high up in trees had babies, three of them pouch-young, one of which is furred.

For their sakes and their lactating mums, they were not tested.

This may well have been music to the ears of professional tree climber George Madini who had already shinnied up 18 extremely tall koala feed and rest trees with their canopies almost touching the clouds, making all his climbs appear like a walk in the park.

He delivered the koalas safely to the ground where the researchers carried out their tests.

Evidence that the koalas are breeding was seen as a welcome sign by the survey team.

“The koalas appear very healthy at first glance.

They are active. Easy to spot and are breeding but we have to wait for the assessment by the Koala Heath Hub to confirm they are disease-free,” Ms Kemp said.

Since 1988 volunteers and NPWS officers have monitored the Narrandera koala colony through annual Koala Spotting Days with sightings reported from Darlington Point to Grong Grong and anecdotally free of Chlamydia.

No wet bottoms or other symptoms of the disease have been detected in the NPWS regular koala counts.

So fingers crossed that the test results will prove positive.

The Narrandera community is justly proud of the koala colony and the many walking enthusiasts in the Narrandera Flora and Fauna Reserves keep a watchful eye on the wellbeing of the tree top residents.

Dog walkers are reminded to keep their dogs on leads at all times when in the reserve.

Anyone spotting koalas particularly outside the reserve are asked to report sightings using the ISPY koala App or contacting the koala regeneration advisory committee.

This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 21 July 2022.