Two-year-old koala, Adam, will today be released into bushland reserve as part of the Schrinner Council’s highly-successful Koala Re-establishment program.
The joint initiative with the University of Queensland aims to reintroduce a resilient koala population into Pooh Corner in Wacol.
All evidence suggests the furry locals are thriving with a new joey recently born in the area through the reintroduced population.
Adam joins Matilda, Karri, Lady Jane, Glenda, Chandler, Heaven, Attie, Olive, Oscar, Olive’s yet-unnamed baby Joey that have made Pooh Corner their home since 2022.
It is hoped Adam will further improve the genetic diversity of koalas in Wacol and help build the population of our national icon.
Pooh Corner Bushland Reserve was acquired by Council in 2006 as part of the Bushland Acquisition Program, with work then undertaken to make it the ideal koala habitat.
The success of the program led to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announcing in February that a further four sites would be investigated for koala reintroduction.
These sites are Mount Coot-tha Reserve, Marstaeller Road Reserve, Bayside Parklands in Wynnum and the Karawatha Reserve.
Council also continues to work with the Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland to support the rollout of the ground-breaking koala chlamydia vaccine.
Quotes attributable to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner:
“I want Brisbane to remain the koala capital of Australia and to do this we must be serious about protecting them,” Cr Schrinner said.
“Adam had a rough start in life – coming to the clinic with significant health issues – now he’s been given a new lease on life and I have a feeling he will be very happy in Pooh Corner.
“Brisbane has the best lifestyle in all of Australia, where you can spot a koala less than 10 kilometres from the CBD and projects like this one help to protect them and boost their population.
“Nina and I often take the kids for family walks and our favourite thing to do is spot koalas. I want to make sure more residents are able to enjoy opportunities like this, now and into the future.”
Quotes attributable to University of Queensland’s Dr Sean Fitzgibbon:
“We are super excited about the addition of a new male koala to the population at Pooh Corner Reserve. I’m sure some of the females will be happy to meet him. And he should add new genetics to the population which is a great outcome for the longer-term conservation of the population,” he said.
“The Pooh Corner project has already demonstrated that koala populations can be re-established in suitable, unoccupied habitat. We are starting to see population growth through breeding females, and the addition of this new male, Adam, will further enhance the population.”
For more information, please visit brisbane.qld.gov.au or contact Council on (07) 3403 8888.
