Wild Koala Breeding Guulabaa
THE TIPPING POINT
Saving the Iconic Koala -The crisis at hand
Can you imagine Australia without our iconic koalas? This could be a tragic reality in as little as 20-30 years.
Koalas are on the brink of extinction, and we are now at a critical tipping point in their survival. After the vast number of koala deaths during the Black Summer Bushfires in 2019, koala numbers have declined even further due to the following key threats:
Habitat Loss
Rapid urban expansion and climate change continue to destroy crucial koala habitats.
Fire Aftermath
Bushfires & other extreme weather events continue to push koalas to the edge of extinction.
Disease Impact
Shrinking habitat means less genetic diversity and resilience. Diseases are more easily spread between koalas, with Chlamydia being a major source of koala illness and death.
Human Threats
Road strikes and dog attacks are the leading causes of koala injury and death. Koalas searching for food and shelter are forced to cross busy roads and backyards with dogs.
OUR RESPONSE
Wild Koala Conservation Breeding
To help save our endangered koalas, we’re taking urgent action. It’s big, bold, and it’s a world-first. We’ve launched 'Koala Conservation Wild Breeding at Guulabaa - Place of Koala' to help save our much-loved marsupials.
Why ‘wild’ breeding is key
Although a small number of koalas are successfully bred in captivity each year, they will only ever be suited to living in captivity. They are too ‘humanised’ to survive in the wild, making them more vulnerable to starvation, attack, or injury. Therefore, captive koalas are suited for exhibit/educational purposes but cannot be released to the wild.
Unfortunately, wild breeding rates are declining as koala threats escalate. Without urgent intervention, the outlook is grim.
How we will achieve this
Enter KCA’s world-first Wild Koala Breeding Program, developed in partnership with Taronga Conservation Society.
We aim to breed wild koalas from carefully selected and screened healthy "founder" animals in natural breeding yards with top-level biosecurity, clinical, and research facilities.
The facility we have built is naturally forested and as close as possible to a wild koala habitat. Koala joeys will stay with their mothers for around 12 months before being released to selected wild habitats to boost wild populations.
Released wild koalas will be scientifically monitored for health, survival, and reproduction to ensure the ongoing success of the wild koala breeding program.
SEEDING HOPE
Breeding Program Goals and Future Vision
Ambitious Aims
Our Wild Koala Conservation Breeding Program aims to establish a genetically diverse founder population of NSW Mid North Coast koalas to help bolster local populations and prevent koalas from becoming extinct.
Tracking Success
Released koalas will be tracked, with data informing the program’s design and ongoing conservation efforts. Our key aim is that our healthy young koalas will go on to thrive and breed in the wild.
GUULABAA - PLACE OF KOALA
Come With Us on a Wild Koala Breeding Journey
It’s all happening at Guulabaa (which means ‘Place of Koala’ in local Gathang language).
Guulabaa is located in Cowarra State Forest near Port Macquarie, where we have commenced our Wild Koala Breeding Program in our newly constructed facility. We’re also about to open our new koala clinic, research hub, visitor education centre, and shop!
We’ve partnered with Bunyah Land Council, Forestry Corporation of NSW, Wildnets Adventure Park, and Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail to make Guulabaa a fantastic and welcoming place for the public to visit, learn and play.
Our new Wild Koala Breeding Visitor Centre is now open to the public - every day of the year (except Christmas Day).
COLLABORATIng with taronga
Our Breeding Program Partner
It takes a village, and in this case, it helps to have a village full of serious scientific research know-how! We’ll share knowledge and results with several leading research institutions and partner on program development and research with the Taronga Conservation Society. It’s a collaboration that will help us develop robust Wild Koala Breeding standards that can be rolled out across Australia.
Partnering in Research to help save koalas
Taronga has several state and nationwide strategies to stop the decline of koalas and support the recovery of threatened species. These programs are collaborative efforts that identify the steps that need to be taken to ensure species’ long-term viability and determine the most appropriate parties to undertake them.
Join us in safeguarding the future of koalas. Support our Wild Koala Breeding today.
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