Indicators of health
What are we looking for to indicate that a koala is really healthy?
Katrina likes to say “If we can’t save the cutest animal in the world, what hope is there?”
Koalas are arboreal. We expect to find healthy koalas high up in the treetops.
They can be difficult to see up there! A koala sitting low in a tree can be one sign of poor health. However, there are other things to check if we can see the koala clearly.
Let’s start with the koala’s face. You can often tell a lot about the general health of a koala if it looks directly at you. This of course, can be half the battle to begin with. Koalas sleep most of the time. However, when awake the koala should look alert and aware of their surroundings. They should be clean with fur that’s in good condition and well groomed.
A healthy koala will have a bright expression. When they first wake they may look a little sleepy, but not for long.
The eyes of the koala are of particular importance. You may have heard the expression “bright eyed and bushy tailed”. Although a koala does not have a tail, the principle really is valid. Chlamydia is the main disease that affects northern koalas. Instead of a bushy tail, we could say a healthy koala will be “bright eyed and dry bottomed”.
Here are a few examples of healthy koalas.
Indicators of Chlamydia
Chlamydiosis is a bacterial infection. This bacteria causes a serious disease. It is responsible for around half the rescues in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, where Koala Gardens is located.
The particular strain that infects koalas is Chlamydia Pecorum and does not infect humans.
Australian First Nations people revered koalas and they always talked of them high in the trees. Europeans cleared huge areas of land, and introduced livestock. Chlamydia Pecorum is endemic in cattle, sheep and pigs. Reports began to emerge of sick koalas sitting on the ground at the base of trees.
Ocular infections
The bacteria can infect the eyes of the koala. It starts with mild irritation that can progress to complete blindness if not treated. In koalas with ocular chlamydia we will notice first that their eyes become red and inflamed. As the disease progresses the tissue around the eye swells. In severe infections there will be a discharge from the eyes. The eyes can swell shut, and the infection can cause permanent blindness.
Not every eye problem is caused by chlamydia, although sadly most are. Former Koala Gardens colony member Greta had a watery discharge from the eyes. Katrina caught her and took her to the local koala hospital. It was discovered that she had a blocked tear duct. This could not be corrected so she was released again.
She was otherwise very healthy and raised her last joey at 15 years old
Urogenital infections
Chlamydia can affect not only the eyes, but also the urogenital tract (UGT). This is more severe as the bacteria can invade many internal organs and result in a cruel death.
The koala spotters who spend so much time trying to get a view and photos of those gorgeous koala tushies, are actually doing health checks! Stained and matted wet fur around the rump of a koala is referred to as “wet bottom”. This is an indicator of chlamydial infection.
A healthy koala bottom is clean, white and dry like this one.
Signs of health
Koalas can be perfectly healthy and have a slight yellowy brown staining to dry fur on their bottom. This staining is usually caused by some tree bark that can stain them, particularly during prolonged wet weather. In these cases, the stain is tree sap.
It can be important to observe a koala for a period of time when it is showing what might be very mild chlamydial symptoms. Former colony favourite Bullet tested negative for chlamydia when he was in hospital after a dog bite in 2018. Here we can see a very slight colouration on this bottom but that is a very healthy koala bottom, his fur is not wet or matted.
Disease progression
In the early stages the koala’s bladder becomes inflamed and the walls thicken. The thicker the walls become, the less space inside the bladder there is. This causes the urine to dribble out much of the time. There is often some blood in the urine. The inside of the bladder becomes so small the urine will be nearly constantly dripping out. This stains the constantly wet bottom. This urine will burn the skin and can cause ulcers under the fur. It is extremely painful and yet the koala may show no outward signs of pain that we recognise.
Over time the disease progresses up through the kidneys. In female koalas the uterus and ovaries are impacted causing sterility. In males the prostate can be impacted as well.
The most important contributing factor to koala disease is loss of habitat
Koalas with access to lots of quality, connected habitat have a higher chance of resisting and coping with disease.
Not all koala issues are caused by disease, the koala can also have met with an accident, for example a vehicle strike or an encounter with a dog or livestock.
A healthy koala should be free from open sores, abscesses, or swelling, especially around the face, limbs, and rump. The koala should move easily and confidently through the trees.
If you see a koala eating, the koala should be confidently choosing leaves to eat and chewing them steadily with no sign of discomfort.
If you live in Australia please make sure you know who your local koala rescue group is and put their phone number into your phone. This allows you to call them if you ever see a koala you’re concerned about. You could save their life!
Join the Colony and get involved
You can become part of the Koala Gardens Colony by adopting one of the resident wild koalas. You can also become a Patron, and one level has an adoption option.
Come and discuss Koala Gardens and all things koala on Discord where we hold lots of interesting and often in-depth discussions there. Lots of fun!
You will become part of the family and help provide much needed koala habitat.
You can also follow Katrina and the Koalas on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Koala Gardens publishes a small number of delightful illustrated children’s books in the The Adventures of Mist series. Check out the beautifully engaging and educational design. Our mission is to help children to “Fall in love with Nature”.
You can even find some great Koala Gardens gifts over at Redbubble where there is huge range of designs on an even bigger range of items.
Alternatively, you can find quick access links to everything Koala Gardens via Link Tree.
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