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Echidna Walkabout's Koala Research Project
Research In the WildJanine Duffy, co-owner of Echidna Walkabout,
began observing koalas in the Brisbane Ranges National Park and the You Yangs in
1998. Her project started partly out of interest in mapping home ranges
(which would help us easily find koalas whilst on tour) and grew into a
serious research project sponsored entirely by Echidna Walkabout. The Victorian Government's Department of Sustainability and Environment has granted us a Research Permit for this work. The research aims to:
 Track the behaviour of koalas in the wild to:
Learn how koalas
interact with
a)
each other
b)
humans
Monitor the impacts of tourism on koalas
Monitor full life
cycles of koalas in a known location
Learn to recognise any
indications of failing health in a wild koala
A Scruffy Beginning For 7 years before beginning her project
Janine had been monitoring the activities of a large male koala she named
Scruffy - she knew his home range so intimately that she could locate its
boundaries to individual trees. However, even with this level of detail,
Scruffy could still elude us. It was Scruffy's death (of old age) in 1998
that moved Janine to begin Echidna Walkabout's Koala Project. It
is interesting that observations since that time have established that
koalas will sometimes move out of their home range.
Our research has been conducted in the Brisbane Ranges National Park since the beginning and more recently extended to the You Yangs.
You Yangs Regional Park
The You Yangs Regional Park has a large and healthy population of wild koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). In an area of about 1 square kilometre around the main access tracks, we have identified over 30 resident koalas in the space of just one year. The koalas seem to prefer the River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) gullies, the slopes that are home to Blue Gums (E. globulus ssp pseudoglobulous) and, particularly in hot dry weather, the Red Ironbarks (E. sideroxylon) On very hot days they can often be seen hiding from the sun in Cherry Ballart trees (Exocarpos cupressiformi), which are not food trees, but provide excellent shade.
The koalas range in age from babies - we have a newly independent one-year old female and two two-year olds - to old males and females. The older females generally seem to be in excellent health, with clear eyes, clean well-groomed fur and healthy droppings. The males don't seem to do as well as they get older, but that is pretty normal - not many wild males live past 14 years, but females do.
We have been amazed at the large home ranges of You Yangs Koalas, compared to a nearby wild population in the Brisbane Ranges. In the Brisbane Ranges it was rare for us to see a koala move further than 200metres in a day, and the home ranges of females was only about 200 - 300 metres in diameter. In the You Yangs one older female has been seen in an area 1km long and 500metres wide, and most of the females have home ranges that seem to be over 500 metres in diameter. It may be due to their food resource, which seems patchier and more limited in the You Yangs than in the Brisbane Ranges, or it may be due to weather conditions (drought) that seem to be more severe in the You Yangs than in the Brisbane Ranges.
The koala population seems to be healthy - while there is a large population of koalas, they do not seem to be overabundant. Koalas are not sharing trees with others very often. We have seen one to three babies per season in a population of 16 breeding-age females, and there seems to be koalas from all age classes from the young to the very old. Food trees are not being defoliated by koalas, even in this drought. Also the individual koalas look generally healthy and well - which is a great sign.
Another interesting asset of the You Yangs - perhaps due to the higher human visitation (compared to the Brisbane Ranges), the wild koalas seem to be fairly relaxed with the sounds, smells and behaviour of humans. We often see koalas low down in trees in the You Yangs. And, when we come upon a koala low down in a tree, they are less likely to scamper up the tree to a safer height. Some of them don't look at us at all, others acknowledge us but don't move, and very few exhibit signs of stress or fear - even in close proximity to humans. There are a few notable exceptions - two mature males and a mature female - all of which live in areas not intersected by major tracks, so they certainly would have had less contact with humans, or perhaps have chosen their home ranges because they are distant from human activities. This suggests that, even if the humans don't see the koalas (we often hear from regular visitors that they have never before seen a koala in the You Yangs!!) - the koalas have learned to live with humans.
All this, added to the substantial bird population, commonly-seen resident Eastern-grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus), Swamp Wallabies (Wallabia bicolor), Echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus) and Brush-tailed Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) makes the You Yangs a fantastic introduction to Australia.
Brisbane Ranges National Park
The Brisbane Ranges National Park is currently recovering from January 2006 bushfires which burnt about 40% of the park. Some of the Koalas and other native wildlife escaped, others were rescued and many died. The area is well know for its diversity of flora and fauna. As well as the Koalas that we have been researching there are Eastern Grey Kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, possums and gliders. More than 170 species of native birds have been recorded in the park. The formerly small number of Koalas has been increased over the years with stock from Phillip and French Islands in 1957 and 1977.
Home in the Range Once Janine has seen a koala a few times she
gives it a name and a page in her Koala ID Book. From then, each time a
koala is seen it is recorded, both in the ID book and on one of our
special Koala Day Maps. Every Savannah Walkabout day tour we do
contributes to this research - travellers and guides work together to find
koalas, guides identify koalas (or describe new ones on the back of the
map) and a dated Koala Day Map is produced with the location and name of
each koala sighted. We now have hundreds of Koala Day Maps on
file.
As more information is collected it becomes apparent where an
individual is commonly seen and from this we get a picture of the so
called “home range” of that animal. We combine this with all sorts of
other information including colour, ear shape and disposition, to form an
overall picture of the koala and its place in the environment.
Home
range is never definitive - koalas will move in and out of their home
range as and when they see fit, (causing all sorts of confusion to their
human observers! Ah, the joys of research!) Males and females both have
home ranges. Males have a tendency to defend their home range whilst
females seem to overlap significantly without too many problems.
On Nose and Poo So Janine could learn about koalas she had to work
out a way of identifying them. She did not want to catch and tag them
because she thought that would upset them too much - also it is very
difficult to catch a koala. Without doubt the most exciting and useful
discovery Janine has made is that each koala can be identified by a
pattern of markings on and around its nose. As a wildlife artist Janine's
eye for detail led to the realisation that the pattern on a Koala's nose
is as individual as a human fingerprint and can be used to identify koalas
with great precision.
Another recent discovery is that each koala
seems to have its own unique droppings. Koalas produce hard, semi dry,
cigar shaped droppings that are not in the least messy. Lots of droppings
rain down out of the tree in any one “sitting”. As Janine went about her
research she often found droppings and collected them so she could check a
theory that each koala had its own unique shaped dropping. Recently she
had enough evidence to positively identify a number of koalas simply by
seeing their droppings. A fascinating aside to this is that DNA from
droppings could one day be used to work out who the parents of a koala are
thus increasing our knowledge of the relationship between koala
generations.
Now we can use home range knowledge, noses, droppings
(and in the future DNA) to identify a koala wherever it may be - radio
collars and other disruptive equipment are not required.
Who's Who? Many wildlife researchers will not give their subjects
names because they believe it brings them too close to the animal and
clouds their perception of their subjects. Others feel that by naming
animals they give them anthropomorphic qualities. Janine disagrees with
both these assumptions. Once a koala has been identified by nose pattern
it is given a name and is referred to as “he” or “she” not “it”. By using
this approach we find that everyone associated with an individual koala
feels an attachment to it and a genuine interest in its well being. When a
new baby is born we all know the name of the mother and sometimes the name
of the father. We have seen a number of our named koalas move from healthy
adults into old age and finally death. All this has allowed us to form a
generational perception of the environment and the individuals that live
in it. Certainly Janine could use numbers instead of names but a name is
more sympathetic to the fact that each koala is very obviously an
individual.
Wild Things All Janine's research is done in the wild so that we
get a genuine understanding of the animals. Koalas like to be near each
other but not too close - in the wild their personal space is rarely less
than 40 metres. In the wild it is extremely unusual to see two koalas in a
tree except in the mating season or when a joey (baby koala) is with its
mother for a few months after it leaves the pouch. Although koalas in the
wild are generally well removed from each other they are very aware of
each others location in the forest - even if they cannot see each other
they still seem to know where other koalas are located. They will often
look in the direction of another koala which may not even be in sight.
They have very highly refined senses of smell, hearing and sight and,
because sounds and smells have a tendency to rise, a koalas location high
in the treetops gives it a far greater awareness of what is going on than
ground-based animals. Males produce a powerful scent through a gland on
their chest which they rub on each tree they climb and females almost
certainly give off pheromones in the mating season that waft through the
forest. Both the droppings and the highly concentrated urine of koalas
have powerful scents that, to a human observer can be obvious, but to a
koala would indicate the presence of certain individuals. Added to all of
the above, koalas are very perceptive and have a clear and intelligent
knowledge of their broad locality - probably on a tree by tree basis. This
knowledge would also increase exponentially as the koala grows
older.
If we place koalas together in a caged environment we are
radically altering their natural desire to keep their distance from each
other and dramatically increasing the degree of “koala-ness” (scents and
sounds etc) around them. This sensory overload seems to affect koalas by
“dumbing them down”. They may appear more tolerant of each other but there
is a cost. Generally males must be kept away from each other to avoid
fights and all animals of both sexes seem far less active than they are in
the wild. It is almost like there is a “koala overload” - too much of a
good thing. They may look happy but they are definitely not doing things
the way they would in the wild. This is part of Janine's reason for
researching koalas in the wild but she also believes in the dignity of
wildness. As she said in a recent paper to the Australian Koala
Foundation:
“Why is dignity important? I believe that we preserve
what we love. Humans can love koalas because they seem cuddly and cute,
but this is a myth and bound to be discovered eventually. Or, humans can
love and respect koalas for their real attributes - their calm approach to
life, their quirky sense of humour, their courage and their determination
to get that out-of-reach juicy leaf! Their exceptional maternal qualities,
their balance and ability high in the small branches of a tree, and their
ability to learn are all visible IN THE WILD.”
(Excerpts from the address Janine gave at the 2002 Conference on the Status of the Koala).
Up a Gumtree Movement between trees is either by short jumps from
one branch to another, or by climbing down the tree, walking along the
ground and up another tree. They will jump up to about three body lengths
between branches and can leap about 4 times their height from the ground
up a tree. They regularly walk short distances (up to 100 metres/yards)
and have been known to walk very long distances (up to 12 kilometres/7.5
miles in one night) if they are removed from their home range.
On
the ground koalas have a humorous and laborious stride that appears to be
aimed at avoiding tripping over their large, sharp claws. But they will
run in a fast bounding gait, when frightened, seemingly completely
unconcerned about their claws. In a eucalypt tree a koala's movements are
nothing short of miraculous as they firstly bound up smooth trunks then,
with great care and agility, negotiate slim upper branches until they are
up in tiny branches amongst leaves. Here they will carefully select leaves
and devour them with periodic rests mid-chew. We have seen a koala in the
very top twigs of a tree, whipping around in a howling gale, hanging on
with three limbs whilst pulling leaves into its mouth with a free
hand.
Koalas rarely fall out of trees but we have seen one koala
fall six metres to the ground, lie stunned for a few minutes then get back
up the tree it fell from to exactly the same position it was in before it
fell. It appeared completely unaffected by the fall.
Births and Deaths Notices Since Janine began her research she has
observed nearly every aspect of koala life. Koalas become very active each
year in the months leading up to Christmas (summer). The forest resounds
with the guttural roaring of male koalas letting the world know where they
are. Both males and females wander out of their range in search of the
opposite sex. There is a subtle change in the whole koala community which
culminates in late spring and summer when koalas mate high in the trees.
Like most marsupials the embryonic, two centimetre long, hairless koala is
born about a month later, then immediately moves - under its own power -
all the way to the mother's pouch.
Surprisingly the pouch opens
downwards! But the mother has a tight muscle which closes the opening when
the baby is inside and safely attached to a nipple. Over the ensuing
months the pouch gradually expands until the extraordinary appearance of
the nearly fully developed but tiny koala in late Winter or early Spring.
All of this happens above ground in the trees!! We have never seen
twins.
The arrival of a new joey (baby) is a time of great
celebration and activity for Janine. There is a new kid on the block, a
new generation, a new cycle to monitor and follow as the joey clings to
its mother's back (or front at first), learns how to feed and how to move
about independently without falling on the ground. Finally the mother
somehow induces the young one to leave and find its own home range -
always a difficult time for all involved - for the young koala and for us
for we may never see him/her again. But Janine has detailed records of its
nose and other identifiers so if we do come across it again or it returns
(which sometimes happens) we will know who it is.
Another sad time
is when we find koalas in distress which may be a precursor to death.
Males can damage each other so badly with their raking claws in
territorial fights that they will die of their wounds often weeks or
months later. Also there are a few diseases that koalas have that can
impact on a whole community and weaken some individuals to the point where
they succumb and die. Diseases can become more serious when koalas are
weakened by the effects of drought - this has been a minor problem in our
research site over the past few years of low rainfall.
Janine has
lost a number of koalas since she began her work in the Brisbane Ranges.
We find their bodies on the ground, sometimes after years of watching
them, not knowing until near the end that they have failing health. It is
never easy to say goodbye to old friends who have shared their lives with
so many people from all over the world and never taken anything in return.
But then the next baby is born and a new cycle begins.
Bushfires in January 2006 These bushfires were heartbreaking for everyone. A large number of native animals including many of our Koala population have been lost. A few Koalas were lucky enough to be rescued, cared for and released healthy.
The bush is recovering but we still do not know the long term effects of the fires as we hope that some koalas have escaped the fires and hopefully will return to settle back in the area.
We have learnt such a lot during this painful time as it gave us an opportunity to be involved in rescue, attend vet visits, help the carer and see koalas up closer than normal. We have been able to see how they respond to being in care. Overall they have been tolerant of humans during their care but still stressed with all the strange things happening to them. The koalas have wonderful support from Marilyn at Beremboke Wildlife Shelter and Dr Anne Fowler has been there for the rescued koalas - always available. She has carried out a full range of tests including necropsies. All the information gained from the experiences is valuable for our research and the future of the koalas.
In June 2007, Mumma K who had been badly burnt in the January 2006 bushfires was finally released after her claws had grown back. She was tagged, released and Marilyn is monitoring her daily by GPS. She was also released with five koalas who were burnt in the January 2007 Framlingham Forest bushfires.
Lend a Hand There is one aspect of koala life that we can help
with. Janine has plans to set up a Koala Research and Recovery Centre in
the Brisbane Ranges to help koalas that are injured by dogs or vehicles or
are found with injuries that are curable. Echidna Walkabout would like to
set up a not-for-profit Koala Research Foundation which will organise and
raise funding for the new centre. If you are interested in being part of
this foundation please contact us.
People and Koalas Janine's research has helped us to provide a
much better understanding of how we should deal with koalas. As at 2004
Echidna Walkabout has had 12 years experience as an ecotour operator
dealing primarily with international travellers. We offer a range of tours
throughout Victoria two of which spend time with koalas in the wild. Our
principal day tour, the Savannah Walkabout, focusses on wildlife
(Kangaroos at Serendip Sanctuary & Koalas in Brisbane Ranges NP), and
one of our extended tours in East Gippsland, the Wildlife Walkabout,
visits koalas at Raymond Island. We have a strong focus on environmental
responsibility and sustainability. Over ten years we have seen thousands
of tourists and their reaction to koalas. As part of our belief in
sustainability we conduct simple koala research while on tours and
intensive research at other times.
In the Brisbane Ranges National
Park - and since the bushfires - in the You Yangs on the Savannah Walkabout our koala subjects are recognised by their
nose patterns and introduced to tourists by name. We spend an average of 3
days per week all year in the research site (on tour), plus Janine makes
regular visits to the site.
Tourism Impacts - what Koalas expect There has been little change
in koala activity since we have been running the Savannah Walkabout into
the research site. Some positives have been that a few koalas recognise
our voices and seem more relaxed than when we first met, and are probably
more relaxed with strangers if we are there. We have even had koalas come
down onto the ground in front of our guests and walk slowly and
deliberately to another tree with the guests following quietly behind at a
respectful distance. Other koalas are always nervous so we have developed
a policy of not visiting these too often. Koalas that see us, and other
people often, display little adverse reaction upon seeing us. One Koala
though has become very aware of our presence and often moves into a less
obvious location upon our arrival (Uncle Tom - a very wily old man
koala!). But generally koalas do not seem to be too troubled by human
presence as long as we keep a respectful distance and remain reasonably
quiet.
There is one thing we have learned that really worries
koalas - they are highly aware of their vulnerability to attack from
below. For this reason we ensure that a group of people never surround the
tree a koala is in and guests are NEVER allowed to touch the tree. These
two requirements are carefully explained to our guests before they enter
the forest - if anyone breaks these rules the visit to the site
ceases.
Importantly, the koalas maintain their dignity - wild
koalas have control of their situation and can move away if they are
uncomfortable.
What people expect KOALAS IN THE WILD. This is not negotiable
with many tourists. They don't seem to mind if they see fewer koalas this
way, or if the koala is hard to see. Strangely, many people expect koalas
to be more active - to climb, feed and jump through the trees like monkeys
- while others expect them to be slow-moving like sloths. These
expectations are given to them, mostly by Australians, through the media
or nature shows/documentaries, postcards and tourism information which so
often show many koalas on one branch, koalas being cuddled by people and
fluffy, alert, perfect koalas posing for photographs. Most of this kind of
activity happens in wildlife parks or on islands where koalas have been
introduced by humans. The fact is that in a natural mainland environment
wild koalas are not numerous and they never congregate. Also a wild koala
will not tolerate being handled or cuddled - they react violently to this
and will lash out with their long, sharp claws and inflict deep painful
raking wounds.
What people think of koalas Most love seeing them in the wild and
enjoy the challenge of finding them. They can then go home and say they've
really seen a koala. With wild koalas there is a greater chance of
watching some exciting and natural behavior.
The thrill of being
the first in the group to find a koala will often stay with the traveller
all day - their fellow travellers and guide congratulate them. A gentle
competition sometimes begins amongst the group which often helps people
focus more on their surroundings. Tourists are most impressed by how close
to the koalas they are (the area we work in has small trees) and how the
koalas don't try to run away. Travellers who have seen koalas in captivity
are pleasantly surprised at how alert the wild koalas are, in contrast to
the captive ones. Travellers who have not seen captive koalas before
expect them to be alert anyway, so they are not disappointed. Introducing
the koalas by name has a big impact on people - they often refer to them
later by name, and even send photographs back with names attached! As soon
as a new koala is spotted, they often enthusiastically ask the guide: “Who
is this? Do you know this one?” Each koala has become an individual, a
personality, not just another animal.
In the wild does work Of course it is not always easy. Wild
koalas can be hard to find some days, weather can interfere, they can move
out of their normal ranges. But there are ways of reducing the problems.
We research the koalas - home ranges, tree preferences and seasonal
movements. Guides are involved in and contribute to Janine's research. We
allocate a decent amount of time on each tour to looking for koalas. When
we don't have much time, we use koala spotters in advance of the tour
group. This has several advantages - the spotter finds a few koalas,
records them for our research, and then chooses which ones are best suited
to the situation. Spotters knowledge allows us to avoid nervous or sick
koalas altogether - mothers with babies and koalas that are very low down
are approached more quietly.
In the wild is worth it The challenge of finding wild koalas adds
to the excitement of the tour. The memories of the experience are special,
so koalas achieve a status that not many animals have. Seeing koalas in
the wild encourages research and understanding of these unique
marsupials.
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