An Analysis of Demographic and Triage Assessment Findings in Bushfire-Affected Koalas (<i>Phascolarctos cinereus</i>) on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 2019–2020
Evie Dunstan,
Oliver Funnell,
Jenny McLelland,
Felicity Stoeckeler,
Elisa Nishimoto,
Dana Mitchell,
Sam Mitchell,
David J. McLelland,
Jerome Kalvas,
Lynley Johnson,
Claire Moore,
Lauren J. M. Eyre,
Amanda McLune,
Ian Hough,
Ludovica Valenza,
Wayne S. J. Boardman,
Ian Smith,
Natasha Speight
Affiliations
Evie Dunstan
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Roseworthy Campus, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5371, Australia
Oliver Funnell
Zoos South Australia, Frome Rd, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
Jenny McLelland
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Roseworthy Campus, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5371, Australia
Felicity Stoeckeler
Kangaroo Island Veterinary Clinic, Kingscote, SA 5223, Australia
Elisa Nishimoto
Kangaroo Island Veterinary Clinic, Kingscote, SA 5223, Australia
Dana Mitchell
Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, Parndana, SA 5220, Australia
Sam Mitchell
Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, Parndana, SA 5220, Australia
David J. McLelland
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Roseworthy Campus, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5371, Australia
Jerome Kalvas
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Roseworthy Campus, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5371, Australia
Lynley Johnson
Zoos South Australia, Frome Rd, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
Claire Moore
South Australian Veterinary Emergency Management, Bridgewater, SA 5155, Australia
Lauren J. M. Eyre
Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals, South Australia (RSPCA SA), Lonsdale, SA 5160, Australia
Amanda McLune
Australian Defence Force, Army Headquarters, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Ian Hough
Cleland Wildlife Park, National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia, Department for Environment and Water, South Australian Government, Crafers, SA 5152, Australia
Ludovica Valenza
Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Beerwah, QLD 4519, Australia
Wayne S. J. Boardman
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Roseworthy Campus, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5371, Australia
Ian Smith
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Roseworthy Campus, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5371, Australia
Natasha Speight
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Roseworthy Campus, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5371, Australia
In the 2019–2020 Australian bushfires, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, experienced catastrophic bushfires that burnt approximately half the island, with an estimated 80% of the koala population lost. During and after the event, rescued koalas were triaged at a designated facility and a range of initial data were recorded including rescue location and date, sex, estimation of age, body condition and hydration, and assessment of burn severity (n = 304 records available). Koalas were presented to the triage facility over a span of 10 weeks, with 50.2% during the first 14 days of the bushfire response, the majority of which were rescued from regions of lower fire severity. Burns were observed in 67.4% of koalas, with the majority (60.9%) classified as superficial burns, primarily affecting the limbs and face. Poor body condition was recorded in 74.6% of burnt koalas and dehydration in 77.1%. Negative final outcomes (death or euthanasia, at triage or at a later date) occurred in 45.6% of koalas and were significantly associated with higher mean burn score, maximum burn severity, number of body regions burnt, poor body condition score, and dehydration severity. The findings of this retrospective study may assist clinicians in the field with decision making when triaging koalas in future fire rescue efforts.
