Anwen, the first female koala admitted to Port Macquarie Koala Hospital amid the devastation of the NSW bushfires, has been released back into her OG habitat today. Anwen is one of 26 brave koalas from the hospital who, over the coming days, will reunite with their homes. Yes, you may cry now. I am, too. Let’s wail together.
“This is a heart-warming day for us,” Sue Ashton, President of Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, released in a statement. “To be able to release so many of our koalas back to their original habitats, even to their original tree in some cases – makes us very happy.”
“Anwen was our first ever female koala to be admitted during the bushfires and her recovery has been extraordinary. It marks a proud moment for Australia; to see our Koala population rebuild, starting to recover from what was such a devastating time.”
Anwen had quite the journey. She was admitted into hospital with bad burns and, according to the hospital, “lay quietly in her basket for months.” Since then, thanks to the incredible efforts of hospital staff and volunteers, she’s made a full recovery and ultimately found her mojo once more.
A significant amount of rain in the area meant that koalas like Anwen were able to return home earlier than expected.
“The Port Macquarie region has a nationally significant population of 2,000 koalas,” said Liesa Davies, Group Manager Economic and Cultural Development at Port Macquarie-Hastings Council. “Now is not the time to travel, but we can encourage people to plan to lend support by visiting when it is safe to do so, witnessing the wonderful work the koala hospital does and supporting local business recovery.”
At the end of last year, our Australian Environment Minister stated that up to 30% of the NSW koala population had perished in the fires. You’d be forgiven for feeling like the bushfires happened so long ago, given the corona-related pandemic that has since distracted many of us from the rampant devastation left by the bushfires, but the truth is – our nation’s still in recovery mode.
If anything, Anwen and the 25 other brave koalas are testament to our fighting spirit and continued recovery efforts.
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital in is the world’s only hospital dedicated to koalas. And they do the Lord’s work.
