Koalas were heard regularly in the Maroota Forest region before the December 2002 bushfires. In fact, parts of Maroota Forest were once a koala protection area.
Since these terrible fires the only evidence of the survival of Koalas in the area has been very limited. A koala has been heard adjacent to the Broadwater Wetland and there is anecdotal evidence of a koala having been seen near the road in Maroota. If any readers have evidence of koalas from any other source it would be great if you could contact the Glenorie Environment Centre with your information.
Koalas in the wild are hard to see because they are usually in the tops of trees, in dappled light and surrounded by leaves. A good way to find out if koalas are about is to listen for them. They are most active during the breeding season which extends between September and November. During this time, the males make a very distinctive grunting noise and this call can be heard during the night and in the early hours of the morning.
It would be wonderful to have numerous koala families living in our forests once again and it would be great to know if their numbers are starting to build up. Koala calls can be heard by typing ‘koala mating calls’ in to google. If anyone hears any distinctive grunting noises that are similar to these calls please contact Pat at Glenorie Environment Centre, email deblacko7@hotmail. com or call 0419 321 276. This way a record of where these calls are heard can be made and a data bank established.
A regular koala survey is being conducted every year by the Glenorie Environment Centre and any new information would be much appreciated.
