Koala Rescue
search & rescue
Our trained koala rescue team is available 24/7
Our Team
We are first responders, and our trained search and rescue teams are available 24/7. We're on the front line, searching for up to 12 hours at a time, enduring extreme heat and challenging conditions in full firefighting PPE to find and rescue koalas. Over the last 30 years, we've completed hundreds of search and rescue missions in NSW and Victoria.
Our Port Macquarie Koala Hospital has a dedicated Koala Ambulance. Once rescued, koalas are transported to our Koala Hospital Clinic for admission and treatment.
The Search
In the wild, koalas are notoriously tricky to locate, as their camouflage helps them blend in with the trees. Koala rescue itself can also be very challenging. We are dealing with wild animals which are often scared, distressed, and in pain. Rescuers need to handle koalas with extreme care, both for their own safety and so as not to injure further or distress the koala.
Retrieving Koalas
Sick or injured koalas can be high up in trees, requiring specialist equipment and training to retrieve them. When koalas are too high for our ground crew to reach, we employ the assistance of local tree care company, Port Tree Fella. Using an electric elevated work platform or a highly skilled tree climber, koalas are safely brought down to our capture team.
Bushfire Rescues
Destructive & deadly
Bushfires present some of the most challenging conditions for koala rescues. We have trained and qualified bushfire search and rescue teams that are called out all over NSW and even interstate.
Thanks to our 'Koala Heroes'
Our predominantly volunteer team works closely with the Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Forestry Corporation NSW, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, and Kempsey Shire Council to collect burnt or injured koalas and other fauna from firegrounds for treatment and care. We can't thank them enough for their efforts and assistance.
Koala detection methods
Koalas are already very tricky to spot in the wild, and bushfire makes this even more difficult. Burned koalas can appear slightly smaller than usual, and the blackened fur is similar in colour to the charred trees around them.
Search methods vary and are dependent mainly on the terrain. Generally, team members will spread out, form a long line and slowly walk through the fireground together. We scan the ground ahead of us and methodically search up each trunk and branch of every tree from every angle. Due to the vast area we need to cover during extensive bushfires, we also employ specialised search methods to locate koalas (and other wildlife) most efficiently. Methods include koala detection dogs, drones using infrared cameras, and even helicopters.
Burnt koalas require special handling
Due to the instability of their severely burnt skin, these koalas require very delicate handling. We have multiple on-site volunteers who will transport the captured koalas directly to the Hospital Clinic for emergency treatment.
