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Is that koala healthy?

Submitted by fok on Wed, 2007-01-24 13:06.

The Healthy Koala

 

Carter a healthy koala
  • Has a thick, grey coat with white markings
  • Responds when startled
  • Spends most of its time high in trees (not necessarily a koala food tree)
  • Bright alert eyes
  • Rounded, fully belly
  • Moves and climbs well
  • No discharges from eyes, nose, mouth, ears, cloaca
  • Has a pleasant koala smell
  • Will bite and scratch if handled by humans
  • If on its own, is larger than a soccer ball. Koalas smaller than this that are on their own may be orphans and need to be looked at by an experienced koala rehabilitator.
Frankie and Peter healthy koala sleeping
The Sick, Injured or Orphaned Koala

sick koala

 

 

injured young koala hit by a car

 

 
  • Red Swollen eyes
  • Pussy or crusty eyes
  • Fur loss around eyes, face or body
  • Brown stained rump
  • Unpleasant smell
  • Dry brown or matted fur
  • Unnatural demeanor – able to be touched without responding
  • Low to the ground or on the ground apart from when moving between trees
  • Abnormal or uneven gait
  • Asymmetry
  • Poor body condition
  • Staying in the same tree, without moving for more than a few days
  • Disorientated – walking in circles
  • Discharges from mouth, ears, eyes or cloaca
  • Obvious injuries causing bleeding or broken bones
  • Any koala that has been suspected of being bitten by a dog even if they are no obvious signs
  • A koala smaller than a soccer ball when curled up may be an orphan and needs to be assessed by an experienced koala rehabilitator
  • Pouch or back young koala orphans where the mother has been killed by a dog or car need to be placed with an experienced koala rehabilitator immediately.

A koala sitting on the ground, unresponsive to what is around it is a very sick koala and needs attention IMMEDIATELY - call the Friends of the Koala hotline if you live in the Northern Rivers of NSW or your local wildlife organisation if outside this area.

sick koala with conjunctivitis

 

 

 

sick koala with cystitis