Save the koala day, every day

Published on 27 September 2024

Koalas are one of Australia’s most iconic and beloved animals, but they face threats from habitat loss, climate change, disease, and human activity, contributing to population declines. Did you know that there are less than 60,000 koalas left in the wild?

Save the Koala Day, held on the last Friday of September every year, is an initiative by the Australian Koala Foundation to support their mission to save koalas, creating a more sustainable future for all.

Preserving koalas is very much on our minds every day, as we work to protect the koala population in the Kempsey Shire.

Koala populations are more vulnerable than ever between August to February, which is the mating season. This time of year, sees koalas leave their trees and look for a mate, which leaves them vulnerable to dog attacks and car accidents.

If you live in an area with a known koala population –South West Rocks, Crescent Head, and Kundabung – please take extra care on the roads, driving with care, especially between dusk and dawn.

There are two new koala zones with vehicle activated signs and road markings to remind motorists to slow down, one on Point Plomer Road, Crescent Head, and the other on Arakoon Road, South West Rocks.

The other big danger for koalas at this time of year are dog attacks. You can help keep koalas safe by:

• keeping your dog inside or restrained at night
• ·not allowing your dog to roam freely
• always walking your dog on a lead and reporting stray or roaming dogs to Council
• restraining your dog if you see a koala in your yard, which will give the koala a chance to move on
• giving your dog its own play area, fenced off from the rest of the yard with koala exclusion fencing.
• Install koala-friendly fences or make your existing fence koala-friendly. You can find information on koala-friendly fences at www.savethekoala.com.

What can you do? 

Look out for sick or injured koalas. If you come across a sick or injured koala, please call the 24-hour koala rescue line on (02) 6584 1522. This service is run by Koala Conservation Australia (Port Macquarie Koala Hospital) and covers Kempsey Shire. 

Report your local koala sightings. If you see a koala, let us know! Every koala reported informs our koala mapping project, which in turn provides vital information to plan for the future, protect, and manage these areas in a way that supports the survival of koalas. 

If you see a koala, let us know by logging your sighting here.