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Australian Reptile Park announces successful koala breeding season

The Australian Reptile Park has today announced that nine healthy koala joeys have been born this season into their conservation breeding program. This marks nine arrivals since the catastrophic bushfire season devastated the country at the end of 2019 and into early 2020. Staff are thrilled as this represents another successful breeding season for the Central Coast wildlife sanctuary.  

Not only do the numbers contribute to the Australian Reptile Park’s koala conservation breeding program, but it holds a great significance to keepers who have been striving to ensure the koalas are reproducing and increasing numbers at a crucial time where every joey born matters.   

Australian Reptile Park Director, Tim Faulkner advised “It’s becoming clear all over the world that koalas in Australia are under serious threat. A year-long New South Wales parliamentary inquiry has found koalas are on track to become extinct in the wild in NSW well before 2050 without urgent intervention to stop the destruction of their habitat”

Faulkner added “the inquiry found previous estimates of 36,000 remaining marsupials in the state were most likely outdated, because they did not account for the effects of the 2019-20 bushfires.” 

Among the new koala joeys is ‘Ember’, the name Ember was chosen as it represents the spark of hope after his birth since the horrendous fires that ravaged through Australia and decimated the wild koala population.

Koala numbers have plummeted dramatically in the last 20 years due to habitat destruction, deforestation, fragmentation, car strikes and dog attacks. Due to the devastating bushfires that ravaged Australia earlier this year, the numbers are incredibly low. The recent New South Wales Parliamentary inquiry found that habitat loss remains as the biggest threat to the species’ survival.

Visitors to the Australian Reptile Park will be able to see the koala joeys bonding with their mums in the many koala exhibits. After two months of temporary closure due to COVID-19, the Australian Reptile Park has welcomed back guests following their reopening in June 2020.

The Australian Reptile Park has a population of over 40 koalas and continues to expand each year with their successful breeding program, they will not stop until more is done to protect the iconic species.

The Australian Reptile Park is requesting visitors to pre-book tickets online prior to their visit.

To purchase tickets and for more information, visit www.reptilepark.com.au 

Image courtesy of the Australian Reptile Park

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