Now if someone said to you…you can give this boy ( koala) a name, how would you even start! When posed with this problem my mind raced around, only focussing on the fact that I thought he was sweet. One of my favourite sweet things is Darrell Lea Rocky Road...this poor sick little guy, with both eyes so infected with conjunctivitis that he was blind, looked about as far removed from a Rocky as was possible to imagine. My brain remained locked onto the Rocky Road concept and so the next best option was to call him ‘Darrell’.

Darrell is 3-4 years old, and came into care at the Friends of the Koala Care Centre on 24 October 2006 where he received treatment for his conjunctivitis. This treatment consisted of daily injections of antibiotic and twice daily applications of anti-inflammatory eye drops and an antibiotic eye cream. Once his eyes were clear of infection we noticed he is cross-eyed. Endearing, but not a great bonus for an animal with poor vision at the best of times (and looking even less like Sylvester Stallone than before his treatment).

Darrell was recently moved from the Care Centre to a ‘soft release’ site at the home of one of our volunteers. This allowed him to readapt to life in the wild by being restricted to one tree. There was a barrier constructed around the base of the tree, allowing him freedom to move on the ground around the tree but he was prevented from leaving that tree site to move to another. Pots filled with water were hung in the tree so that each day he had different varieties of fresh leaf supplied. His movement was monitored and his scats checked daily to ensure he continued to remain healthy and was behaving in a normal manner.

On Saturday May 26, young Darrell sat on the lowest tree branch and watched as we removed his bright blue tree enclosure. He was given fresh leaf in case there may be a bit of reluctance to leave the restaurant. And there was considerable reluctance…he sat there for 8 hours checking things out! I would have been shot if I placed a glow in the dark collar, with bell, around his neck, so now I have to be secure in the knowledge that the little guy has regained his freedom and knows what he is doing. He was a bit of a loner and a quiet little boy - I wish him well and hope we don’t see him, except in passing.

Submitted by Karen Jennison