KOALA AND WILDLIFE HOSPITAL IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND
Don protégé
The photo (Courtesy of Charley G.) shows a Chlamydia diseased koala from Central Queensland (CQ). Many diseased and injured koalas, who could be saved, are euthanised due to a lack of veterinary specialised care. The nearest koala and wildlife hospital is 600km south of Rockhampton (CQ). To realise that there is no koala treatment facility in CQ when encountering an injured or sick koala can be very distressing for members of the public. Koala Territory Foundation wants to change this, and with your help, we will be able to. Rescuing an animal, especially a koala, can be a life-changing experience.
PURPOSE
- To build and run a wildlife treatment centre, that caters for our koalas and other wildlife (including marine turtles) in Central Queensland (CQ).
- To ensure that wildlife treated with the appropriate care are returned to the wild.
WHY?
Currently, regional veterinarians and nurses passionate about wildlife care need to relocate to undergo the training they require and jobs are not available in CQ. Koalas and other wildlife in CQ are missing out on receiving the same care that their urban counterparts are receiving.
With the employment of wildlife veterinarians and nurses to assist wildlife in need, the facility will provide hands-on learning for training wildlife professionals in CQ. “We are training a new generation of veterinarians and nurses in the treatment of koalas and other wildlife in CQ”.
The hospital will also run education programs for school students across all age groups as well as for the general public.
The establishment of the hospital will highlight CQ as an important location for the protection of wildlife and promote a new industry that combines eco-tourism and wildlife care.
With this facility we hope to not only save koalas and other wildlife, but to have a positive impact on the community through education, employment, eco-tourism and conservation.
OBJECTIVES
- Build and run a wildlife hospital.
- Offer placements and a hands-on training facility in collaboration with universities for veterinarians and nurses.
- Educate local school groups with walkthroughs and talks/displays in the outdoor arena/auditorium on the importance of conservation and biodiversity.
- Raise funds via eco-tourism, donations, and grants to cover all running costs and growth of the centre.
- Run the centre off solar power, batteries and tank water as part of our commitment to being sustainable.
- Acknowledge and promote Indigenous wildlife conservation.
- Provide eco-tourism (run carbon neutral and sustainable, including building materials)
- Create a tourism destination that leaves a positive impact on the community.
- Increase genetic diversity of already dispersed and weakened populations of koalas and other species.
- Employ local people, including at-risk teens, to help care for the wildlife.
We understand that not everyone is interested in protecting koalas, but we are, and we hope that you will help us reach our dream.
Please visit our website https://www.koalaterritory.org.au/
Coorganisateurs (3)
Koala Territory Foundation
Organisateur
Ironpot, QLD
Gabrielle McGinnis
Coorganisateur
Rolf Schlagloth
Coorganisateur