Post-fire survival and reproduction of rehabilitated and unburnt koalas

Daniel Lunney; Shaan M Gresser; Paul S Mahon; Alison Matthews

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2004.03.029

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Post-fire survival and reproduction of rehabilitated and unburnt koalas

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Post-fire survival and reproduction of rehabilitated and unburnt koalas

Daniel Lunney, Shaan M Gresser, Paul S Mahon and Alison Matthews

Biological conservation, Vol.120(4), pp.567-575

2004

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2004.03.029

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Abstract

Koala

Fire

Rehabilitation

Survival

Reproduction

Fire can be a catastrophic event which causes high mortality and injury in wildlife. While rehabilitation of injured animals is common, no studies have measured the success of rehabilitated wildlife following fire. This study compared the long-term survival and reproduction of a group of injured, rehabilitated and released koalas (n=16) with that of uninjured koalas (n=23) following fires in fragmented forest in Port Stephens, Australia, in 1994. Individual koalas were monitored for up to three years following release. Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier estimate, modified for the staggered-entry of new animals. There was no significant difference in the survival of rehabilitated and uninjured koalas after fire. Annual survival, derived by fitting an exponential decay function to the data, was estimated to be 58% for rehabilitated koalas and 67% for the uninjured koalas. Predation by dogs was the major cause of mortality for both groups. Reproduction did not differ significantly between the two groups over two breeding seasons following fire. It was concluded that rehabilitation of injured koalas was successful from the perspective of the individuals. Furthermore, such efforts have the potential to contribute to the recovery of populations depleted after fire and thus contribute to the long-term survival of koala populations.

Details

Title: Post-fire survival and reproduction of rehabilitated and unburnt koalas
Authors/Creators: Daniel Lunney - NSW Department of Planning and Environment
Shaan M Gresser - NSW Department of Planning and Environment
Paul S Mahon - NSW Department of Planning and Environment
Alison Matthews - NSW Department of Planning and Environment
Publication Details: Biological conservation, Vol.120(4), pp.567-575
Publisher: Elsevier
Identifiers: 991005578575507891
Murdoch Affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Citation topics: 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology; 3.35 Zoology & Animal Ecology; 3.35.721 Rodent Ecology
Web Of Science research areas: Biodiversity Conservation; Ecology; Environmental Sciences
ESI research areas: Environment/Ecology