Wild Koala Breeding Program

We are excited to share the development of the first ever Wild Koala Breeding Program, breeding koalas to be returned to the wild. 

Wild Koala Breeding Program

Following the 2019/20 black summer fires in Port Macquarie and Australia, KCA received donations through a Go Fund Me® campaign. These funds will be used to develop the world’s first Wild Koala Breeding Program. Until now, Koalas have never before been bred for return to the wild.

The ambitious plan is to develop a conservation facility that will breed and release 30 joeys per year, creating a blueprint for organisations across Australia to follow suit. This will start to reverse the trend of declining koala populations and loss of biodiversity. 

  • The breeding program will be developed in partnership with several leading research institutions including Taronga Zoo, the Australian Museum Research Institute and the University of Sydney.

    The scientific research program will follow rigorous science, best practice guidelines in building a breeding facility, populating it from a ‘stud book’ and breeding healthy disease-free koalas for release under guidelines stipulated by the approving body, the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE).

    NSW Forestry Corporation will provide land in the Cowarra State Forest, NSW, to house the breeding facility and other tourist attractions. It is called the Gullabaa, located between the townships of Wauchope and Port Macquarie and is approximately 8Ha in size. KCA will be developing approximately 2Ha of land for the wild koala breeding program and other associated koala facilities. All of Port Macquarie will benefit from this development, including the local community, local business, tourism operators and indeed our resident wild koalas.

  • The wild koala breeding facility will include the following components:

    • Permanent resident exhibit koala yards
    • Breeding koala yards
    • Clinic
    • Laboratory
    • Static education exhibit
    • Leaf management and other back of house operations
    • A canopy walk through the treetops (subject to additional funding)

Learn more about the Wild Koala Breeding Program

Project Information