Reality TV can’t compete as koala match ups help save the species
A unique koala breeding program aims to improve the endangered status of this beloved marsupial species by working some romantic magic via careful couples matchmaking – here’s how it works
READING LEVEL: ORANGE
A professional koala matchmaker has said the Australian marsupials* could teach reality TV couples a thing or two.
“I think our koalas are better behaved then the (TV) contestants,” said Guulabaa – Place of the Koala breeding manager Dr Kate Farquharson.
At Guulabaa, within the beautiful Cowarra State Forest on the NSW Mid-North Coast, Dr Farquharson carefully screens and selects koala pairs, with the aim of repopulating the endangered species*.
“That’s all based on their genetics*, making sure they are compatible genetically and not related but also looking at their age and size,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
“You wouldn’t be wanting to match a younger, smaller female with an older, dominant male.”
Dr Farquharson, who has a doctorate in conservation genetics and previously worked with breeding Tasmanian devils, said koalas were comparatively slow to reproduce.
“Most Australian animals will just pump out offspring when the conditions are good but for koalas, it takes them a few years to mature,” she said.
“They will only breed once for any year and they will have a joey with them for at least 12 months, so they might not breed the next season.”
The koalas, from south of the Hunter Valley up to the northern Clarence Valley, or brought in as hospital patients, are placed together in forested pens for six weeks to breed.
“One male last season, when we put him with the female, straightaway, bang, job done,” Dr Farquharson said.
“So he knew what he was doing and was ready.”
Female signs of breeding readiness tended to be “a lot more subtle”.
“It might just be coming down to check out the male next door,” Dr Farquharson said. “We’ll notice she is quite intently staring at him. It can be vocalising; they can make some sounds like a male bellow.”
The breeding program, run by Koala Conservation Australia, has produced seven joeys in a single year, which were all being prepared for release into the wild.
Dr Farquharson said genetic diversity* was vital for producing healthy offspring, to reverse declining populations and re-establish populations that have gone locally extinct*.
“As koalas become restricted to smaller and smaller pockets of habitat*, they are more likely to come across relatives and be forced into a population that starts to inbreed*,” she said.
A major risk to koalas is sexually transmitted disease chlamydia*.
“It’s not the same strain as humans,” Dr Farquharson said.
“Ocular chlamydia affects their eyes and can make them blind eventually. Urogenital tract* infection can lead to infertility* and make them quite sick.”
“We test them all before they come into the breeding program to be free of chlamydia but also to have low burdens of other diseases such as koala retrovirus*.”
Dr Farquharson said she had “a dream job” at Guulabaa, which offers a variety of visitor experiences with the koalas.
“To know that this program will make a difference for koalas is just really inspiring,” she said.
“It is an exciting time because this a totally new approach for koalas, to be breeding them in this kind of environment and releasing them into the wild.
“I like the challenge of how much there is to know and how much we still don’t know about koalas.”
POLL
GLOSSARY
- marsupials: mammals including kangaroos and koalas with females that carry their babies in a pouch on their stomach
- endangered species: animal or plant considered in danger of no longer existing because there are very few left alive
- extinct: having no living members, not now existing
- genetic diversity: the range of different inherited traits within a species
- habitat: natural environment in which an animal or plant usually lives
- inbreed: mating and producing offspring between closely related animals
- chlamydia: extremely common bacterial disease among koalas
- urogenital tract: part of the koala’s body that produces and carries urine, and also the reproductive organs
- infertility: state of being unable to have babies or produce young
- koala retrovirus: a group of viruses specific to koalas
EXTRA READING
Koala’s healing hug from its mum
Huge support for giant koala park
Koala joey ‘Fox’ named for sisters
QUICK QUIZ
- How many koala joeys have been born in a year via the program?
- How long do the koalas spend in forested pens during the program?
- Which organisation runs the breeding program at the Guulabaa sanctuary?
- Before entering the breeding program, all koalas are tested for what disease?
- What is the effect of ocular chlamydia on a koala?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Koala matchmaking
Design and create two koala profile cards that you are planning to match together for breeding. On your profile cards include details such as:
- age
- sex
- location
- genetic diversity score (A, B, C)
- disease status
- relatedness (family tree snippet)
Explain why you’ve matched your koala pair together.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: Science, English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
KWL Koala chart. Write down what you already knew (K), what you want to know about koalas (W) and what you learnt about koalas (L) after reading this article.
K –
W –
L –
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Animal alliterations
With a partner, choose one of the pictures from the article.
Make a list of nouns you could use to name the animal in the picture. For example, instead of a tiger, you could also say cat, or feline.
Pick your favourite noun and identify its initial sound — what sound it starts with, not necessarily what letter.
Now, using the initial sound, make a list of adjectives to describe the animal. Try to be specific. Don’t just look at the animal as a whole, look at their different features as well.
Build on these same sound words, and add any verbs and adverbs you could use to describe the animal and their movements.
Try to put it all together and use as many same sound words in a sentence, to create an alliteration about the animal in the picture. For example: the terrifying tiger, tiptoed through tangled trees chasing his prey.