Friends Of The Koala

To report a sick, injured, or orphaned koala within the Northern Rivers region, call the Friends of the Koala 24/7 Hotline at 02-6622-1233.

Friends of the Koala focuses on all aspects of koala conservation in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. They rescue, treat, rehabilitate, and release koalas, protect and enhance habitat, and run koala health research projects.

They operate across local government areas of Ballina, Byron, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed.

Friends of the Koala are located at 23 Rifle Range Road, East Lismore in New South Wales.

Adorable koala (Photo Courtesy of Friends of the Koala)

Key Takeaways

* Operates a 24-hour koala rescue service with an on-site koala hospital

* Runs a koala care center in Lismore

Koala eating leaf (Photo Courtesy of Friends of the Koala)

Koala Rescue

They operate a 24-hour koala rescue service with an on-site koala hospital. Each year Friends of the Koala rescues over 350 sick, injured, and orphaned koalas. Their 24/7 Rescue Hotline receives calls from members of the public who either need advice or encounter a sick, injured, or orphaned koala within the Northern Rivers region.

Trained rescue volunteers attend the call out, assess the situation thoroughly, and if necessary, undertake the rescue. Once carefully contained, koalas are transported to their Koala Hospital for treatment.

Koala at the rescue center (Photo Courtesy of Friends of the Koala)

Koala Hospital and Care Center

Their fully accredited Koala Hospital admits at least 350 koalas per year. The Koala Hospital is set up with state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment tools. The experienced koala veterinarians and support staff diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, and release rescued koalas to the wild where they belong.

The koala care centre is a rehabilitation enclosure with 23 outdoor enclosures, two ICU cages, and one ICU room. They can house 23 adult koalas, 4 to 6 joeys, and up to four females in our permanent enclosure. These enclosures are designed to provide koalas with everything they need including a natural and quiet environment with plenty of space.

Want to learn more about koalas? Check out my Top 16 Amazing Koala Facts blog!

Koala Research Projects

Friends of the Koala makes significant contributions in koala research projects and training programs. Their main goal is to prevent disease and injury in koalas.

The Friends of the Koala Database is one of the largest single-species databases in the world. It provides invaluable insights into koala population trends and changes.

Koala sitting on a tree — A koala sitting on a tree (Photo Courtesy of Friends of the Koala)

Habitat Restoration

Friends of the Koala undertakes several activities for koala habitat creation, restoration, and protection in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. They operate their own Community Native Plant Nursery in East Lismore where they grow koala food trees.

Be a Part of Friends of the Koala

To support their mission, here are some ways you can contribute and be a part of their efforts:

Donate

Donate to Friends of the Koala and directly support their work to ensure the survival of the species. Every donation, no matter how big or small, helps them achieve their mission of protecting these beloved animals.

Rescued Koala (Photo Courtesy of Friends of the Koala)

Adopt a Koala

Adopting a koala is a fun way to support the crucial conservation work of Friends of the Koala, and help their precious koalas survive.

Koala on a tree (Photo Courtesy of Friends of the Koala)

Vaccinate a Koala

Koala chlamydia is the number one cause of death for koalas. By donating to this vaccination program to protect koalas, you will contribute to helping them save this endangered species.

Koala Hospital (Photo Courtesy of Friends of the Koala)

Leave a Bequest

Leaving a bequest to save koalas is a remarkable act of kindness. A bequest to Friends of the Koala is an amazing way to help secure the future of koalas and leave a lasting legacy. You will be supporting conservation efforts that genuinely make a difference.

Join Koala Club

Join their fun monthly subscription for koala lovers worldwide. Your membership helps plant their precious food trees and rescue sick, injured, or orphaned koalas.