{"id":43676,"date":"2024-11-07T15:43:06","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T14:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/3aeeda36-0d89-42ce-820c-21b7450265bf"},"modified":"2024-11-07T16:27:31","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T15:27:31","slug":"thermal-drone-catches-glimpse-of-uber-cute-koalas-cuddling-in-a-tree","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/thermal-drone-catches-glimpse-of-uber-cute-koalas-cuddling-in-a-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"Thermal drone catches glimpse of uber-cute koalas cuddling in a tree"},"content":{"rendered":"

The mother and her adorable joey were among 10 koalas picked up by the drone in Australia’s newly established Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary, New South Wales. <\/p>

By Daniel Graham\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 07 November 2024 at 14:43 PM<\/p>

\n\n

In a heartwarming discovery at Australian Wildlife Conservancy\u2019s (AWC) newly established Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary, an endangered koala and her tiny young joey were spotted nestled together high in the treetops. <\/strong><\/p>

The cuddling koalas<\/a> were spotted by a thermal drone, funded by MidCoast Council and the NSW Koala Strategy, a project aimed at identifying and supporting tree-dwelling species across the 4,000-hectare protected area.<\/p>

The Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the traditional land of the Worimi people in New South Wales\/Australian Wildlife Conservancy <\/figcaption> <\/figure>
Koala cuddle discovery<\/h2>
Ecologists from AWC and MidCoast Council couldn’t contain their excitement when the drone captured images of the mother-and-joey duo in the early morning light.<\/p>
The pair were among 10 koalas detected as the drone surveyed two pre-selected sections of the sanctuary, totalling 240 hectares.<\/p>
\u201cEncountering 10 koalas is a great result,\u201d says Andy Howe, AWC Senior Field Ecologist.<\/p>
\u201cIt indicates that the koala population at Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary is robust, giving us a great platform to work from and emphasising the site\u2019s significance as a critical refuge for the endangered species in the region.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Thermal drone captures footage of a koala mother cuddling her joey\/Australian Wildlife Conservancy <\/figcaption> <\/figure>

What is a marsupial?<\/a><\/li> <\/ul>
Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary<\/a> was acquired in 2022. AWC scientists initially estimated that the area could host over 300 vertebrate species, including the elusive koala.<\/p>
Early koala sightings by ecologists suggested they were present, but the full extent of the population remained unknown until now.<\/p>
\u201cWe had an idea of where to search for Koalas based on early results from a bioacoustics survey we conducted at the sanctuary last year,\u201d explains Howe.<\/p>
\u201cAt the time, we had high koala calling rates in two areas within the central and north-east corner of the sanctuary.”<\/p>
$\"Thermal$
Map of the thermal drone search areas\/Australian Wildlife Conservancy <\/figcaption> <\/figure>
\u201cFrom the drone footage we were able to ascertain that all koalas looked healthy,” says Howe.<\/p>
“They had full and uniform coats of grey and bright white fur, no clouding or discharge in the eyes from conjunctivitis and no staining on the rump from chlamydia \u2013 a great sign!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>
In 2022, the NSW government upgraded the conservation status of the koala. The species is now a regional priority, supported by the development of the MidCoast Koala Conservation Strategy<\/a>, which will guide koala conservation and management efforts over the next five years.<\/p>

The drone spots a koala in the tree tops at Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary\/Australian Wildlife Conservancy <\/figcaption> <\/figure>
Find out more about AWC\u2019s work with koalas and other species at Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary<\/a>.<\/p>
More wildlife stories from around the world<\/strong><\/p>
Why this skinned head preserved in ethanol for more than 100 years has got de-extinction experts so excited<\/a><\/li>
Scientists stuck cameras on 10 whales in Australia \u2013 here’s what they saw<\/a><\/li>
Haunting before-and-after photos reveal retreat of Arctic glaciers<\/a><\/li>
Harvard scientists sent two flying robots on a mission \u2013 and they’ve just detected something<\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n
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