By ALANA MITCHELSON
Up to 400 koalas will be relocated from Cape Otway before the end of the year to relieve “overpopulation” pressures.
The operation has so far captured at least 112 koalas, with the healthiest 74 relocated to national parkland north of Lorne, about a half-hour drive from Cape Otway.
The relocation program follows an outcry over State Government culling of the cape’s koalas which were struggling with a shortage of suitable food.
Many of the animals were now in bad health, said Mandy Watson, a senior biodiversity officer with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).
“Their general health is OK but it’s deteriorating.
“Relocation can put some stress on the animals so we’ve only been relocating the healthiest koalas,” Ms Watson said.
“Since koalas are essentially solitary animals, there’s no social grouping issue in separating koalas from the group.
“After extensive habitat-mapping and koala-modelling, it was determined that Great Otway National Park was the only site in the western part of Victoria suitable and large enough to support this project.”
Ms Watson said the park had several species of eucalypts suitable as koalas food, including manna gums.
Fourteen were sterilised on Tuesday and Wednesday and two were euthanised, she said.
Only healthy animals would be relocated, including females weighing over 1kg and “fertility-controlled” with hormone implants.
Ms Watson said the operation aimed to prevent koalas suffering from malnutrition and starvation from their “over-abundance” compared to the amount of available manna gums at Cape Otway.
The department conducted trial in May and September, monitoring 37 koalas to gauge the suitability of the relocation site.
Relocations began in November with the aim of improving their chances of survival over summer and to provide time for adaptation before winter.
Cape Otway had about 1000 koalas left, the department said.
Australian Koala Foundation accused the State Government in October of an “embarrassing gaffe” that led to the culling of Cape Otway koalas.
The koalas began starving after the government planted two wrong species of gums at the cape, the foundation said.
