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Following broadscale ecological surveys on their soon to be wildlife sanctuary, Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary - Aussie Ark, Re:wild and WildArk have been delivered shocking news that no Koalas were discovered on the site, despite being prime Koala habitat. The news comes following the species uplisting to endangered earlier this year.

Hayley Shute, Manager of Conservation at Aussie Ark notes “Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is an incredible slice of paradise. It’s been previously used as a cattle farm, and we are so committed to restoring it to its former glory and reintroducing lost species.

“To get the results back of our ecological survey and have no Koala’s found onsite was devastating. The land is prime Koala habitat, and they should be in abundance on site. The result just shows how desperate this region is for a project like Aussie Ark.”

Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is a 1500-hectares of bush habitat in Upper Mongogarie New South Wales. The site is located approximately 30 kilometres from the world heritage listed Mallanganee National Park and 70 kilometres from the Richmond Range National Park. The soon to be sanctuary is located within one of the most bio-diverse regions in Australia, reflected by the diversity of vegetation communities which support a range of mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, and invertebrates.

The surveys were undertaken as part of the organisation’s plans to rehabilitate the site through the creation of a fenced safe haven, tree planting and rewilding lost species. With the support of Connoisseur and NUII, the site will also become home to a Koala breeding facility, working to rewild eventually Koala’s to protected land. Both NUII and Connoisseur have committed funds to help with phase one construction of necessary facilities for the project.

Following the results of the ecological survey, the organisations have upscaled their monitoring through motion triggered cameras and in field monitoring, looking for scat droppings, tree markings and other signs of Koala presence.

The Koala breeding program supported by NUII and Connoisseur, will be a critical step in protecting the endangered species, and rebuilding their populations. It will work towards creating long term, action-based outcomes for the species. Additional works are also being undertaken within the wildlife sanctuary to plant up to 100,000 trees to support the rewilding of native species, as well as large scale noxious weed removal.

The “Planting for the Future” campaign is currently running, and Aussie Ark and WildArk are calling on Aussies to help plant a tree! From just $5 you can help support their ambitious goals, and help iconic animals, just like the Koala, in the process.

More information at www.aussieark.org.au

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