Recovery...

It is amazing how much comfort can be gained from watching leaves appear on trees.  It happened so quickly (in December) that it almost seemed like it was overnight.  Even the trees that I thought were dead along Manna Gum Drive are now covered in leaves.  Although it is somewhat sad that there are fewer koalas around, there is now hope that some areas of manna gum will survive.  Having that hope has meant the world of difference to the landholders and of course, to me.

Manna Gum Drive, November 2013

Manna Gum Drive, February 2014

In February, I had an absolutely awesome group of Earthwatchers to help me document the recovery: Christine, Alana, Tak Wei, Karina, Pat and Viki (from Earthwatch). With ages ranging from 20 to 70+ and from six different countries, who would have thought that we would have got along so well? There was never (neva) a dull moment.  On behalf of Viki and myself, I even forgive you all for picking on our beautiful Australian accents.  

An awesome group of people!

As is the norm for my trips, we worked hard and surveyed a record 15 sites for koalas and tree condition (including 5 brand new sites), captured our 6 collared koalas, and radiotracked most days.  This is extraordinary in itself, but when you consider we lost a day due to hot weather and high fire danger, all I can say is ‘WOW’!  And we played hard too. Nothing like a competitive game of spoons or the new crowd favourite ‘scum’ that our visiting journo Ken taught us, to top off a hard work day. THANK YOU my friends for helping me recover.

Our 6 collared koalas are still going strong.  All have put on some weight and muscle condition is improving. Sally still had her joey (now named 'Sammy') with her in February but now (March) has left him to fend for himself. She has returned to her old core area several hundred metres to the south and he appeared to be doing OK in the trees she raised him in. 

 

Sally and joey 'Sammy' (Photo by Alana). 
Apparently these are the most beautiful koalas in the world!

The GPS tracks of some of the koalas are really interesting.  Beast, Dave, Buffy and Bella roamed a lot in Dec/Jan. 

Buffy's tracks Dec-Jan

It is intriguing to add the data from the last few months to those of the last few years. The population in our focal 7 hectare manna gum site increased steadily from around 11 koalas per hectare in November 2010 to around 20 per hectare in September 2013. Then the population dropped to 5 koalas per hectare in November. From our radiotracking and GPS data, we know that most koalas moved to neighbouring woodland patches as leaves became scarce in their core areas. This is reflected by the rapid increase in population density in ‘Bush Block’, a few hundred metres to the east, in November. That population also crashed, but this time only the fittest were able to move on.  Only 8 of our 20 collared koalas survived past November.

Koalas per hectare in our focal site (black), and 'Bush Block' (green) since 2010

Tree canopy cover in the focal site reflects the changes in koala densities over the years. As koala densities increased, average canopy cover declined.  A temporary increase in cover due to the summer flush of growth was observed in February most years.  This year the increase has been more dramatic although overall, cover is still lower than that recorded in February 2013. Only time and more data gathering will tell how much these trees can recover.

Average canopy cover (%) in the Bimbi site

The trees fight back...

Two weeks ago, a tinge of green started creeping into the manna gum canopies at Cape Otway. A week later, that tinge has now turned into thick epicormic growth. Even the trees along Manna Gum Drive are fighting back. The only problem is, there are still lots of hungry koalas around so these trees had better put on a LOT of growth over the next few months if they are going to survive the autumn/winter dormancy period.

Trees turning green again.... beautiful!

Our eight surviving koalas are still going strong and given the increase in food supply, I think they will continue to do OK for a while.  It has been interesting and sometimes frustrating to track their movements.  Sally (still with joey), Scarface, Beast and M1187 have not roamed far from their November locations, but the others keep me walking in circles and introducing me to new landholders.  Bella moved over 1km to the north in a 1-week period. M1189 also moved about 500m north.  Buffy has chosen to move back to her original site (the photo above), and last week, Dave was in Bush Block.  All of these koalas will be captured for GPS refit and condition checking late next week.

On other news, the Save Cape Otway Alliance is moving forward in leaps and bounds.  They have bulk-ordered more metal sheets so that landholders can put bands on some of their trees, contacted the local Landcare group about ordering seedlings and getting information about planting/seeding etc, contacted VicRoads about the traffic issues on Lighthouse Road, and are encouraging landholders to do koala surveys (using my protocol) so that we can get a better idea of koala density and distribution, and tree canopy condition across the whole Cape.  This information will be really useful to DEPI when they return again in February.

And finally, this will be my last blog for 2013.  It has definitely been a challenging year and I have no doubt that there will be more challenges in 2014.  But, in the meantime, I wish you and your families a safe and happy Christmas and New Years.

Seeing the positives....

The last few months have been tough and it is only too easy to dwell on the negatives of the situation we have been dealing with.  However, in looking at the ‘negatives’, I’ve also realised that there are many ‘positives’….

. The passion of Earthwatchers



Earthwatch group, November 2013

I am humbled by your passion for the environment and willingness to give up your time and money to help with this research.  To my latest Earthwatchers (Doug, Pam, Deb, Lynette, Jim and Annie), you witnessed some unpleasant stuff and we shared some tears along with the laughs, but you soldiered on and helped collect some really important data.  Nine sites surveyed, daily radiotracking, eight koalas caught, seed and koala poo collected, data entered…. lots accomplished! You are truly wonderful and inspirational people.  THANK YOU!  I am glad that you each got to ‘mind’ Sally’s joey for me.

'It's a boy'. Annie with Sally's joey


. The support of Earthwatch
Kirsty, THANK YOU for helping with this latest trip.  It wasn’t an easy situation to have to deal with on your first koala trip but you were a rock for me.  Always smiling, and willing to do whatever had to be done.  I’m guessing that you might think twice about volunteering for the Aire River survey again?  Cass, THANK YOU for listening to my rants, and for waiting patiently for the revised briefing.

Kirsty didn't sit down often...

. My Bimbi Park family

I love you all (including Jak of course!), and thank you for welcoming me into your family.  Frank – I am still chuckling over our early morning koala catching during this last trip.  I’m not sure that the vet liked arriving each day to find six or so koalas already in bags for them J

Frank's pizzas are always a highlight

. DEPI staff who have come to our aid
You are working incredibly hard and I know that like the rest of us, you have found the reality of this situation difficult to deal with.  THANK YOU for caring.  You have given us hope.

. The landholders of Cape Otway
The old saying ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’ comes to mind.  You are an incredible group of people and I’m honoured to join you as a member of the ‘Save Cape Otway Alliance’.

. Our koalas
We are now down to eight koalas: Dave, Scarface, Beast, Buffy, Sally, Bella, M1187 and M1189.  I have mourned the loss of each of our collared koalas, but also smile at the memories:  Lucie was my favourite and I have a LOT of photos of her and her various joeys.  Princess was always such a little drama queen.  Cranky Frankie didn’t get his name for being sweet-natured.  He will go down in history as the most aggressive koala I’ve ever met.  I don't think he liked me much? And the list goes on and on…  It certainly has been a privilege to work with these beautiful animals.

Dave is still going strong :-)

. The future
I have about 600 little mannas growing and these will be ready to plant next autumn.  There are also numerous little seedlings growing in the control burn areas.  There is much work to be done but together, we can rebuild.

Hope....

The death toll rises to 5

Trying to make sense of a senseless situation 4 Nov, 2013

Yesterday we lost another four of our radio-collared koalas to starvation: Lucie, Princess, Lison and Austin (Lucie is the little female with the joey featuring in this blog).  Six weeks ago, these animals were deemed healthy enough by vets to be released.  Their GPS tracks show how desperately and widely they've been searching for trees that have some leaves left on them.  Some like Dave and Scarface have been successful in finding some decent trees.  Beast has managed to find his way past a tree collar and is enjoying a decent meal or two.  But most are only finding dead trees and resorting to gnawing on the bark.  One koala and a joey nearly launched herself at us to get the few leaves we felt compelled to hold out to her.

These animals are just the few that we've been tracking for the last few years.  There are countless others suffering the same fates.  In the process of tracking yesterday, I came across the carcasses of five others, and I wasn't even searching for them.  And this is just the koala death toll.  The tree death toll is even greater.  Well over 400 hectares (about 1100 acres) of manna gum woodland is now dead and what remains is rapidly being defoliated by ravenous koalas. 

We are pleading with the government to intervene.  While they can't turn back time, they can put an end to the koala suffering, help any remaining live trees recover, and assist landholders rebuild the habitat.  You can help by emailing your view to Mr Ryan Smith (Minister for Environment; ryan.smith@parliament.vic.gov.au) or Denis Napthine (Premier; http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/the-premier.html).

Feeling a bit helpless and a lot sad.....

On Monday, I collected the carcass of the first of our study animals to die of starvation.  Ruby was one of our original females collared in April 2011.  Weighing in at 10.4kg, she was also one of our biggest girls.  She successfully raised joey 'Benjamin', and several months ago, joey 'Kevin Jr' emerged from her pouch.

Ruby with Kevin Jr (September 2013)

Ruby was captured during the government's 'Wildlife Intervention Plan' in September and was in good health at the time so simply given a hormone implant and released.  Unlike our other koalas, she did not move once all the trees in that patch died.  Two weeks after her health check, she abandoned her joey (I searched to no avail). Three weeks after that, she was dead.  She had lost 3kg in just a few weeks.  This is just the beginning.  I have no doubt that I will find more dead animals next week

Although I understand the complexities of koala management, I question policies behind decisions that allow healthy koalas to be released back into unhealthy habitat.  I would have preferred to see Ruby euthanased rather than released back into habitat that could not support her and her joey.

..... And the manna gums also continue to die, and the government still does not provide any support to landholders who are frantically trying to save at least some of their trees.

I have written to our state government pleading for help.  If you would like to write too, Victoria's Minister for Environment is Ryan Smith (ryan.smith@parliament.vic.gov.au).

Loving trees to death

Once a beautiful manna gum woodland....

These last few months have been difficult for me.  I have helplessly sat by and watched a forest die.  Not just any forest… OUR forest… the forest in which we have spent hours catching koalas, tracking koalas, measuring trees, sharing stories and laughs, and appreciating the beauty of nature.  The sad part is that it is the koalas that have caused this.  There is only so much koala browsing a tree, and a forest can bear (pardon the pun).

 

I predicted years ago that this would happen but the end has been very sudden.  Earthwatchers in the September trip still saw some leaves on the trees and counted around 130 koalas within our site.  At the moment, that number would be around 10 or 20, and by November, I’d be surprised to find any koalas there.

This koala struggles to get the last leaf on the tree

Also as predicted, our koalas are moving in search of food… well, all but Ruby have moved and I hope that Ruby will follow while she still has the energy.  Following their movements and condition over the next few months will be a major focus of mine.  I am hoping that they will not only find their way to the blue gum forest, but that they will survive there.

Dave, sitting in a tree on Station Beach Track

SO… a big question I get and maybe one on your mind is “Why can’t someone do something about it?”

I’ll give you a few bits of information and see if you can come up with an answer:

1.       There are probably thousands of koalas in the area and a lot more in the neighbouring blue gum forests, so ‘no’, we can’t ship them all off to wildlife parks;

2.       Translocation is highly stressful on koalas, especially if they are being moved to a different type of forest.  Studies elsewhere have shown that 100% koalas can die after being translocated;

3.       Fertility control is slow acting (we’re talking years) and the trees are dying now;

4.       Culling is illegal under Commonwealth policy.

So sadly, it is too late. Management undertaken years ago may have helped stop this from happening. Now, I don’t think there is anything anyone can do other than try to protect some trees to save the habitat, do what we can to reduce koala suffering, and learn from this situation. 

Bimbi Park has done an amazing job of collaring trees and other landholders are starting to do the same.  Some say that it is cruel to keep koalas from the few trees left, but no trees = no koalas = no other wildlife = no ecosystem services!   We’re also going to be doing more tree planting.  Bimbi Park planted about 400 trees this year and put a burn through some areas to promote natural revegetation.  I’ve germinated some of the seed collected by Earthwatchers and have about 600 baby mannas that will be ready to plant out next April/May.

Our government environmental department has also become involved and recently sent a team of vets to check on koala health.  I caught 30 koalas in 2 days!  Our radiocollared koalas were assessed as part of this and interestingly enough, all but one (Nelly) were in excellent condition.  Nelly had been dropping in condition even when food was abundant.  She was just old!  Based on her condition and age, we made the decision to euthanase her; much more peaceful than what would have been ahead of her.

I'm currently tracking the others on a weekly basis.  They move so much that it takes me much longer than normal to find them.  Austin has headed towards the lighthouse; Bella, Claire and Ned are sitting on the top of Big Hill; Scarface is up on Manna Gum Drive, and the others are on Station Beach Track (even Cranky Frankie!), and in paddock trees. At least if these ones start to suffer, I'll be there to help them.  I'm a softie!

Lucie and her new (camera-shy) joey

On the brink

We are 'on the brink' in many ways.  The field season is almost upon us, and a lot is about to happen at Cape Otway.  It is definitely time for a blog update.

Our koalas
In May, I captured 15 koalas wearing VHF collars, for health checks and to attach new GPS devices to their collars.  Thanks to some wonderful volunteers (Samantha, Teagan and Lisa), we accomplished this in just two days, and also managed to plant some trees too.  We had to be extra careful and gentle with the girls because most of them had large pouch young.  Claire's joey, one of the first to be born this season, was actually out of the pouch (but hid inside during the catch).

Claire and joey, May 2013

Our catch list was:
Females: Lucie, Claire, Ruby, Buffy, Nelly, Sally, Lison, Bella, Elena (Katrina's dropped her collar).
Males: Ned, Beast, Austin, Stevie, Scarface, and of course, Cranky Frankie (Tony Parker is MIA... AGAIN!)

Bilko, Erik, Al, Dave and Mac were wearing the GPS collars so didn't need to be caught, although we did track them.  Sadly, we found Mac dead.  A week earlier, a small control burn was put through part of the site to help regenerate the Manna Gum.  Mac must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Since May, Bilko has also departed us.  He was one of my first koalas to be caught at Cape Otway (in 2010), and was looking good in May.  I can only guess that age and his difficulty in obtaining good nutrition caught up with him.  I retrieved and cleaned off his skull - I have never seen such an odd-shaped skull or such a poorly aligned jaw in a koala.  I'm surprised he was able to eat at all.

Bilko's mishappen skull

Bilko in May 2013 - happily feeding


Our trees
On a very sad note, trees at Cape Otway have taken a rapid change for the worse.  The green flush of growth from December - March provided a bit of hope, but with the trees entering a dormant phase over winter, koalas have stripped many of them bare.  Some trees in our site have died and many are barely hanging on.  The koalas have shifted their ranges slightly as a result.  Most of them are sitting in trees that still have some leaf, along the fenceline, while others have moved out into the paddock trees.

Trees in our site take a turn for the worse

BUT THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE.....

The trees we planted (germinated from seed collected by Earthwatchers in April 2012), are looking good, and there are young seedlings emerging in the burnt areas.  I have already started germinating seed (collected by Earthwatchers in February 2013) for trees that can be planted in Autumn 2014.



Mannas are germinating in areas burnt in May

Manna from seed collected in 2012



Plans for the 2013/2014 field season
A focus of our work this summer will be assessing habitats (tree condition, regrowth, etc), and taking action to ensure that our new trees (planted and naturally germinated) have the best chance of survival.

Koala censuses and tree condition assessments will be conducted in all of our sites across Cape Otway (Aire River, Lighthouse, Parker Hill, Bimbi and Bimbi West).

We'll also be doing some behavioural studies to further our understanding of mate selection.  I will be replacing VHF radiocollars with VHF/proximity collars which will record who is near who, and the length of time they stay together.  We suspect that males guard females until the females are in oestrus and receptive, so this will provide detailed and continuous information on that throughout the breeding season.  I will also be deploying some accelerometers for analysis of the frequency of an individual male's bellows during the peak breeding period.  This will provide insight into testosterone cycling as well as mate selection (are females really attracted to the males that bellow the most?).  Some of the catching for these studies will occur during the November Earthwatch trip.

Dave likes to bellow when I'm around

Radiotracking will occur in all trips and help us understand the daily movements of koalas and tree selection, especially with respect to the changes in tree condition.

Scat collection will also feature as an activity.  The nutritional value of koala food can be determined from scat.  We will therefore be able to see if there is a relationship between tree cover decline and koala nutrition.

We will continue with camera trapping in February.  Koalas aren't the only ones using manna gum woodland.  This will tell us what other species are also present, and how they are being affected by the changes in habitat.

So, lots to do, and exciting times ahead.  Alistair will be leading the September trip and I will be leading the November and February ones.  For those of you who will be joining us, THANK YOU in advance.  I hope you have a fun and rewarding experience with us.


AND FINALLY....

If you didn't catch it, ABC Catalyst did an episode on us.  Check it out at ABC Catalyst - Cape Otway koalas and Deakin/Earthwatch research program

And, the study on koala bellows conducted at Cape Otway (lead by Ben Charlton), is now in press and can be accessed at: Koala bellows (Charlton, Whisson and Reby 2013)