A dozen koalas that are 'critical for conservation' have been rescued from the bushfire-ravaged Blue Mountains and sent to tarongazoo as an out-of-control blaze burned towards their habitat |TheMattBungard
A dozen koalas that are "critical for conservation" have been rescued from the bushfire-ravaged Blue Mountains and sent to Taronga Zoo, as an out-of-control blaze burned towards their habitat.
"It makes them nationally significant. They're also chlamydia-free, which is quite a rare thing. They're only one of two populations [ chlamydia-free] that we know about in NSW."Dr Leigh estimates two-thirds of the Wollemi-Hawkesbury koala population has been lost, along with the decimation of several other koala populations around the state.Volunteer rescuers included experienced State Emergency Service workers and a specialised climbing team that was called in from Victoria.
Dr Leigh said that although they were a once-thriving community of 3 to 4 million animals, koala numbers are now as low as 300,000.In total, three males and five females, along with four joeys, were rescued."We just thought it was really critical – even though we got a relatively small number. We just needed to do something and we've done the best we can."
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