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If you grew up in Canberra, chances are you’ve been on at least one school trip to Tidbinbilla. I was lucky enough to visit again with a group of ANU students and spent a day learning about their koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). Once abundant throughout Australia, koalas are now classified as endangered in many states. Their numbers are decreasing due to habitat loss, disease, and climate change and its effects. So, what did I learn?

How do you find a koala?

Firstly, I learnt they are really difficult to see! As my group set off to walk our sector, one of the volunteers warned us we’d have to keep our eyes peeled. Maybe we didn’t look hard enough, or maybe the koalas had decided that the north side of the sanctuary wasn’t where they wanted to be that day – either way, our group returned having seen a grand total of zero koalas in the trees. Luckily, the groups walking the other sectors had spotted three– however that was less than the amount Tidbinbilla expects.

While Tidbinbilla obviously wants to make sure their koalas are healthy, it’s also important to accurately track koalas in the wild so we can tell how the populations are changing (for example, in response to harsher weather from climate change), but also to ensure they aren’t over reproducing, and exceeding their habitats carrying capacity. So, how do you accurately count koalas? Traditionally, managers have relied on manual surveys. However, this takes a lot of time and (as we discovered) can be inaccurate. We were told that Tidbinbilla was looking at the possibility of using thermal drones to scan for koalas. This could be a lot quicker and more exact – drones are starting to be used more in wildlife monitoring because of this.

What do you feed them?

Secondly, I learnt that koalas are really picky. Koalas will only eat leaves from certain species of eucalyptus. This is another reason why habitat loss is such a serious issue for them – because they are used to their specific eucalypts, habitat fragmentation can isolate them from food sources. On a larger scale, this will lower the carrying capacity of an area, leading to sick koalas.

What else is out there?

Finally – that they aren’t the only important animals out there. While my group didn’t manage to spot a koala on our walk, we saw plethora’s of potoroos– another group even managed to spot a rock wallaby. These animals are part of Tidbinbilla’s management plans, which aims to help conserve them, while also contributing to research on how to help them adapt to ecological challenges they face in Australia. While I went into my work experience thinking about koalas, the koalas introduced me to the animals and plants that live around them, and how these also need to be managed. So, if you’re ever down at Tidbinbilla, make sure to go say hi to their koalas – but don’t forget to keep an eye out for all the other adorable, important, but less well-known animals.

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