Bushfire Koala

The koala 'Amelia Fritz' was brought to the Sanctuary during the Victoria bushfires by two of our Keepers at Healesville, Calinda and Tiff, and has since been cared for by Liz George. Her last name came from the policeman who handed her over to our keepers.

Whilst she had significant burns to her paws and arms and suffered from smoke inhalation and depression, the professional care she has received from both Liz and our hospital staff at Healesville Sanctuary, has got her to the point where she has physically recovered from her injuries.

Despite this, Amelia still has quite a way to go. The fires not only took their toll on her body, but were very traumatic mentally for her to endure. Like many humans who were caught up in the fires, this is something that changed her life significantly, she has lost her home and her social group and she will definitely need lot of extra care and attention to ensure she is prepared and has the appropriate skills to be able to be released into the wild.

Amelia is currently sharing her 'room' with Georgia, another orphaned koala who came to Liz pre-bushfires with a broken leg. They are good friends and give each other comfort. This social interaction will hopefully help her on the road to recovery.

There is also the added difficulty of finding suitable habitat to release Amelia. With much of the local bushland decimated by the fires it may take months for the bush to regenerate and able to harbour wildlife again.