Baby koala rescued after being found wet and alone after east coast storms

Updated

The east coast storm cell has brought tragedy and tears to many Australians who have lost loved ones, livelihoods, and homes, but one tiny victim of the wild weather has stirred a sense of hope.

On Monday morning, an infant koala was rescued by a resident of the small coastal town of Hawks Nest, on the Hunter coast of New South Wales.

Louise Haynes was just about to head off for work when a commotion in the chook pen made her stop.

She checked what the fuss was about and found a bundle of wet, grey fur squeaking beneath a giant eucalyptus tree.

At first she thought it was a rat, but on closer inspection she realised it was a koala joey crying for its mother.

Ms Haynes's first priority was to get the joey dry.

"I wrapped it in my jumper and rushed inside," she said.

"It was cold when I picked it up, but soon warmed up and snuggled in."

But she knew the adult female had to be nearby and she had a good idea of its identity.

"Princess is the only tagged koala in Hawks Nest, one of a small population of critically endangered koalas," she said.

"She's been visiting my tree for years."

Ms Haynes had seen the mother with bigger babies in the past, but never one so young out of the pouch — it fitted in the palm of her hand and weighed just 356 grams.

She rang Ian Morphett from Hunter Koala Preservation Society Care and Rescue (HKPSCR), who headed over to help try to reunite the pair.

"We put the baby at the base of the tree to try to coax mum down," Ms Haynes said.

"But she was scratching herself and trying to stay awake, like any mum who has been up all night with a crying baby — she seemed quite happy for us to mind it."

The baby kept mewling at the mother and trying to climb the tree to her, but after an hour Princess was still unresponsive.

The rescuers were aware she had abandoned a previous joey and the tiny koala would not survive in the cold if they waited much longer for her to collect it.

There was also the risk that it would be killed by a predator such as an eagle or a dog.

So Mr Morphett took the baby to an expert carer in Port Stephens.

'I am so proud to have found this baby'

Meanwhile, Ms Haynes posted a heartwarming photo and the fate of the iconic little Australian is now being followed by thousands of fans on social media.

"I just hope it alerts people to how endangered koalas are, as their habitat and wildlife corridors are still being cut down to make way for urban development," she said.

Later in the day, HKPRCS reported the abandoned joey was uninjured, despite the assumption that it had fallen from its tree in the violent storm.

It was put in a woollen pouch with flannelette liners, wrapped in a blanket, sitting on a warmer set at 34 degrees Celsius, in a basket.

Volunteer Sue Swain said the Hawks Nest koala population was considered on the brink of extinction, "so this little female is very precious".

The joey will need a lot of help to survive being abandoned at such a young age.

Ms Swain has to feed her every three hours, even through the night.

"She is very reluctant with her feeds but it is early days and all a bit foreign yet," Ms Swain said.

Ms Haynes was impressed by how quickly Ms Swain had managed to get the joey active.

"She looks so much stronger," she said.

HKPSCR has named the baby Louise, after her rescuer.

Ms Haynes is delighted, but says the volunteer carers are the heroes.

"I am so proud to have found this baby and hope it survives," she said.

Topics: storm-event, human-interest, animals, hawks-nest-2324

First posted