Rare koala sighting near Bega

Media release: 4 September 2015

A rare sighting of a young Koala was recorded last week by a local family near their property on Dr George Mountain Road, between Bega and Tathra. Excited by the unique sighting of a Koala this far south, the family took photos and reported the sighting to the local Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH).

The family described the koala as a ‘healthy teenager’ who was meandering along the road, and upon sighting the car, quickly scrambled up the road bank to the nearest tree.

OEH’s Senior Threatened Species Officer for the area, Chris Allen, said that the sighting was an important discovery because it is so rare this far down the south coast of NSW, and it contributes to building a more accurate picture of what is happening with the koala population in the region.

“I particularly ask motorists using the Bermagui-Tathra and Dr George Mountain Roads to watch for koalas when driving at night. This is very important at this time of year when young animals disperse from their maternal home ranges, which appears to be the case with this sighting. There are several areas where we know they are likely to be crossing the roads.”

“This sighting also supplements OEH’s five-year conservation project, Corridors and Core Habitat for Koalas, funded by the Australian Government’s Biodiversity Fund, which undertakes surveys and monitoring, promotes fire management improvements, and habitat rehabilitation, ” Mr Allen said.

Mr Allen urged drivers to take extra care and report any sightings either to OEH’s Wildlife Atlas at http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/wildlifeatlas/about.htm or email: chris.allen@environment.nsw.gov.au, telephone 0417241477.

Contact: Katreena Doherty