To experience Port Macquarie’s area. – silverfox175

I knew that I had made an impression with this fellow – as soon as he saw me, he turned his back . . .

We were visiting the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie, which is free to enter and all they ask is a donation to the work of looking after sick or injured koalas.

This fellow didn’t mind the camera.

The hospital is a rehabilitation facility, scientific research and educational centre and a tourist ‘must see’.

There are teams on call twenty-four hours a day to rescue wild koalas that may have been injured by a vehicle, loss of habitat due to bush fires, towns expanding, or just are sick and cannot look after themselves. People are asked to phone the emergency services if they find a koala in distress. The Centre handles hundreds of koalas a year.

Recovering koalas are moved from ICU to the outside area where treatment continues until the animal is fit enough to look after themselves. Those that recover fully are returned to their home areas in the wild. The animals that recover, but are unable to look after themselves are kept in a protected area of the hospital, which is an area that mimics a koala habitat with trees and food. My photographs are of the protected area.

Koalas are now listed as an endangered species.