I volunteer mostly collecting Koala food leaf for Friends of the Koala, and occasionally I get the chance to rescue a Koala. Rescues can be emotionally taxing. Often they are koalas traumatized in motor vehicular accidents or diseased. So you can relate, I’m sure, to the positive feeling of being involved with the release of a koala that has been through our care centre and rehabilitated.

Last week I was asked to release not one but two koalas, “Atticus” and “George”. “Atticus” was rescued by me about 5 weeks ago around the Modenville village just north of Lismore, and George by another of our volunteers Karen, at Dunoon.

I have been told and seen myself, that when we release a koala, they often climb quickly to about the 3metre mark, stop, and give “the look” down at us. Not sure what is going on but I might assume, a small thanks or more likely …I’m out of here and I hope your not following!

So on our way to the first release site you can here me telling another volunteer, Lesley, about this expected behaviour. But just to be contrary, “Atticus”, took for ages to climb the tree before looking back, and then slowly made his way up to a comfortable fork.

Later at a different release site at Dunoon, we had to walk through to the far side of a macadamia property to find suitable trees. We placed the cage at the foot of the tree, Lesley and Mark opened the cage and “George” didn’t look back until he was well out of reach of those pesky humans.

A good day for two of our Koalas, and as I walked back to the car, I wished them well and hoped I would see them again, but only high in a gum tree.

Submitted by Leaf Coordinator and koala rescuer Rick Stewart.