Sick, injured and orphaned koalas will reach new heights thanks to a special sustainability initiative from the Fleurieu Connections Alliance. CPB Contractors has been selected by the South Australian Government, as part of the Fleurieu Connections Alliance, with the Department of Infrastructure and Transport, Aurecon and GHD, to deliver the Main South Road Duplication 2 Project.
Large branches from trees removed for Main South Road duplication project have been repurposed to create climbing structures in the rehabilitation enclosures at Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue (SKER).
SKER Operations Manager Mish Simpson says her organisation is a ‘veterinary clinic dedicated to helping sick and injured wildlife’. Her team, including an onsite vet and about 40 volunteers, offers 24-hour care for native animals in need throughout their rehabilitation. Arrivals at the centre can include koalas who have been hit by cars, attacked by dogs or that are suffering from illnesses or more serious diseases.
Several of the enclosures have been fitted out with tree boughs from the Fleurieu Connections Alliance, including the ‘koala kindy’, a place for sick or orphaned koala joeys. Two of the young residents are Violet and Crumble—aptly named as they stick closely together. They are both a little over a year old.
'They’re really bonded,’ Mish says. ‘If I see two koalas cuddling, I know it's them.’
This close-knit pair came to the centre separately. Violet’s mother was sadly hit and killed by a car, an incident which damaged one of the young joey’s arms and has required physiotherapy. Meanwhile, Crumble was found alone and, although her mum was located, the older koala died of kidney disease.
Mish says Violet is a 'sweetheart' who is very inquisitive; however, she does get grumpy with the vet during her physiotherapy sessions.
Crumble is the more independent of the two and loves her food. ‘She is very interactive around mealtimes,’ Mish says. The Fleurieu Connections Alliance has also contributed to the truckloads of gum-leaves that the animals at the centre chew through each week.