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WildArk and Aussie Ark to rewild a population of koalas on Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

WildArk and Aussie Ark to rewild a population of koalas on Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary
June 16, 2022

An ambitious project to rewild a population of koalas on Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Upper Mongogarie, NSW has been launched by conservation organisations, WildArk and Aussie Ark, in partnership with Australian ice-cream brand Connoisseur and UK ice-cream brand NUII.

The Koala Rewilding Project is putting koalas back into the wild by creating a captive koala breeding program for wild translocation onsite at the Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Upper Mongogarie NSW, just 30km from world heritage listed Mallanganee National Park.

Koalas face numerous threats, including disease, car strikes and dog attacks, not to mention the 2019/2020 bushfires that decimated millions of hectares of koala habitat, killing an estimated 61,000 koalas.

Tim Faulkner, president of Aussie Ark advises “we all want to save koalas from becoming extinct in the wild but that battle is being lost, so a model of captive to wild is a critical step to being able to replenish wild populations and keep this species in the wild.”

Koala enclosures created with the help of Connoisseur and NUII, will be used as short-term holding and breeding facilities. From here, the koalas will be transported to a soft release area within the broader sanctuary. This soft release is critical to the koalas to establish appropriate wild behaviours and skills, prior to return to the wild in protected areas.

The Koala Rewilding Project will also assess, manage and protect the potential wild koala population that currently resides on Mongo Valley, by performing baseline population surveys as well as undertake broad scale habitat rehabilitation and rewilding projects.

Intensive weed, fire and feral animal management will ensure koalas have safe and healthy habitat while the project aims to contribute 4000 eucalyptus trees to the large scale tree-planting project that is on-going, on the property.

Kirstin Scholtz, General Manager of WildArk adds “Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is prime koala habitat so it has been sad not to see many koalas in the wild here. We are incredibly excited to be working with Connoisseur and NUII to help protect one of Australia’s most iconic species and ensure future generations see koalas in the wild.”

Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary was secured for protection by WildArk, Aussie Ark, Re:Wild and The Australian Reptile Park. It is in one of the most biodiverse regions in Australia reflected by the diversity of vegetation communities which support a range of mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates. The area includes a range of vegetation types including dry and subtropical rainforest, wet and dry sclerophyll forest and isolated heath communities.

The Koala Rewilding Project holds so much hope for koala conservation. You can support koalas by donating today

Related Articles

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20th May 2022 - Funding offered to eligible private landholders to protect NSW koala habitat

11th April 2022 - NSW Government releases its new Koala Strategy

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21st February 2022 - New draft Victorian Koala Management Strategy released

9th February 2022 - Australian Government promises $50 million to save koalas while simultaneously clearing their habitat

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30th December 2021 - Koala habitat planted in Blue Mountains’ Yellow Rock

29th August 2021 - Major expansion begins on Brisbane’s Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

1st July 2021 - Imaginative nature play area opens at Phillip Island’s Koala Conservation Reserve

4th May 2021 - Moggill Koala Rehabilitation Centre reopens following major upgrades

25th March 2021 - Koala safety shield trialled to reduce Queensland wildlife road toll

22nd February 2021 - Queensland Government continues to fund koala conservation efforts

29th January 2021 - Aussie Ark spots first Koala Joey in Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary

31st December 2020 - Sustainability grant helps fund new koala habitat in Greater Geelong


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