State acts on French Island koala crisis

VETERINARY teams have finally begun health checks on starving French Island koalas after weeks of pressure on the state government.

The assessments, which Parks Victoria announced this month, follow reports in The Sentinel-Times and other publications highlighting the plight of the animals.

The Sentinel-Times reported in the November 18 edition the distress of former French Island Ranger Scott Coutts about the koala crisis he said had “been evolving over the last two years”, prompting him to write to various state government ministers calling for action.

“There’s just not the will by the government agencies involved to do what they should be doing,” Mr Coutts said when speaking to The Sentinel-Times about the severity of the situation.

With French Island’s koalas being disease free, their population doubles every four years, Mr Coutts explained. While around 200 koalas a year used to be translocated to suitable habitat on the mainland, that stopped in about 2015.

Mr Coutts said previous successful efforts to limit koala numbers on the island by implanting females with birth control hormones had fallen down because it had not been done widely enough in recent years.

The government says the veterinary assessments form part of DEECA and Parks Victoria’s long-term management of koala welfare throughout Victoria.

“This is guided and informed by the Victorian Koala Management Strategy, which was developed collaboratively with Traditional Owners, scientists, veterinarians, animal welfare organisations, wildlife carers, government agencies from Victoria and interstate, and the Victorian community,” the press release states.

“Parks Victoria is working with DEECA to continue to monitor and respond to the health and habitat of koalas at French Island, as we have done for many years.”

Unlike in other states, in Victoria koalas are not endangered and their population
is secure.

The press release acknowledges French Island’s high-density koala population is putting pressure on the island’s ecosystems, including the eucalypt trees the animals feed on, resulting in both forest canopy loss and koala welfare concerns.

“Parks Victoria is conducting routine health assessments of individual koalas found in areas of French Island where vegetation has been eaten faster than it can regenerate, with each koala individually assessed by qualified veterinary staff,” it notes.

The government departments involved intend to slow population growth by implanting healthy females with contraceptive devices.

To prevent suffering, koalas found to have extremely poor body condition and unlikely to survive will be humanely euthanised.

Where a mother is euthanised, her joey will be relocated to the Phillip Island Nature Park.

“Relocation of large numbers of koalas from French Island is not being considered due to the severe risks to the health and wellbeing of koalas, instead focusing on the long-term healthy sustainability of the local population,” the press release states.