AangelStarr 
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(11/12/06 2:54 am)
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Harry the Koala
Harry the Koala
Harry is a two year-old-male koala that was hit by a car in Ormiston, Redlands recently. On admission to the Australian Wildlife Hospital, our vet observed that Harry was suffering old fractures to his elbow and shoulder, blood on his chest and lacerations to his tongue. In addition, his eye was badly ruptured, which was going to require surgery.
Harry was placed in intensive care for close monitoring over a few days until his eye operation. The removal of his eye was necessary as it was irreparably damaged. The operation was a success and Harry was a very good patient. After a few more days of rest in our ICU, Harry has now moved into our ‘Mums and Bubs’ enclosure, where he will reside happily outside for his rehabilitation.
We have just come out of the annual breeding season for koalas, which is the busiest time of year for us here at the Australian Wildlife Hospital. We see an average of 30 koalas per month admitted during the year, but from July to September (breeding season), those numbers increase to 90 koalas per month! The majority are hit by cars (like Harry) or victims of dog attacks, and are in a very critical condition when they arrive. Treatment can take months, which means we generally have 40 koalas in the hospital at all times undergoing treatment and rehab.
The large numbers of koalas being hit by cars and attacked by dogs could be greatly reduced if we all:
Slow down while driving through areas where you know koalas and other wildlife live
Keep pets locked inside at night time to allow our native wildlife to move around safely to feed
With those simple tips in mind, we can all do something to help save sick and injured wildlife in our own backyards!
The face of nature reflects all of life's ups and downs. |
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