Community & Business
31 March, 2023
Koalas on the Tablelands… who knew?
THE Tree-kangaroo and Mammal Group will host a joint talk on two of our region’s most recognisable tree-living animals – Lumholtz’s Tree-kangaroos and koalas at the Big Pub-Malanda Hotel on Thursday 6 April at 7.30pm.
Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo is an iconic species of the Wet Tropics. While most commonly seen on the Atherton and Evelyn Tablelands, Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroos occur from just south of the Daintree River to Cardwell and from coastal Cairns up into the Atherton Tablelands.
Wildlife veterinarian and researcher, Dr Amy Shima, will give an update and summary of research on the health and population of Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo based on findings from over six years intensive research on the species.
The good news is that the population of Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroos is stable or increasing in number and generally thriving and that people can take simple measures to help protect this species and other wildlife of the region.
Wildlife biologist Roger Martin, will give an update on work being done with koalas in Far North Queensland. This work started after Roger and Amy (with help from a crew from Ergon) rescued a koala from a power pole in Atherton.
“Athey” koala was treated for an eye infection and released into good koala habitat. Tracking Athey has revealed that, while seldom seen, koalas are living in the region and may hold an important place in the long-term survival of the species throughout Australia.
All interested people are welcome to join this free talk.
