A prominent Sunshine Coast wildlife hospital will be better equipped to save lives, due to a state-wide funding blitz to help injured and threatened animals.
The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital will receive $2 million over two years, as part of the State Budget, which has increased funding for the South-East Queensland Wildlife Hospital Network and committed almost $40 million to help protect koalas and threatened species.
Wildlife Warriors Terri and Robert Irwin met with Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon at hospital to talk about the funding.
Terri welcomed the financial boost and said more could be done to protect native species.
“The number of animals admitted to the hospital continues to rise year after year and more than 10,000 koalas have been treated at the hospital,” she said.
“The extra funds will help meet this rising demand across the whole wildlife hospital network but more still has to be done to reverse the decline in koala numbers in South-East Queensland.
“We must implement better and innovative ways to expand the size and quality of koala habitat and cure the chronic diseases afflicting this iconic Australian species.
“Measures like the registration and roll-out of the koala chlamydia vaccine and the re-populating of safe havens which previously had koalas must be our top priorities.”
Minister Scanlon said the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital and the RSPCA Wildlife Hospital would also benefit from funding.
“The SEQ Wildlife Hospital Network does excellent work with our native animals, with vets, vet nurses and volunteers working round-the-clock to rescue and rehabilitate them so they can be returned to the wild wherever possible,” she said.
“Sadly, koalas, in particular, make up a big portion of the hospital admissions, suffering car strikes, disease and dog attacks.
Ms Scanlon said koala conservation and the recovery of threatened species recovery were important items in the State Budget.
“Almost $40 million in this year’s State Budget will go towards protecting Queensland’s native animals, including koalas,” she said.
“Of this, $24.647 million will support the Queensland Government’s South-East Queensland Koala Strategy 2020-2025 and $14.7 million will support our broader Threatened Species Program.
The SEQ Koala Strategy includes the strongest koala protections Queensland has seen, increasing the area and level of protection to koalas in the south-east corner of the state.
Ms Scanlon said the $24.647 million would underpin critical actions to stop the decline in south-east Queensland koala populations and protect and restore key koala habitats.
“In addition to investing in protecting and restoring koala habitat, it is vital we continue to support key wildlife infrastructure like the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital which plays such a critical role in preserving our koalas for generations to come.”
Ms Scanlon said Queensland was recognised internationally for its global biodiversity, being home to thousands of species of national and global significance.
Unfortunately, there are 1026 species, including 243 animals and 783 plants, now listed as threatened under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act.
She said the State Government “will target the $14.7 million funding to support threatened species by addressing urgent on-ground recovery actions to see species saved in the wild.”
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Ms Scanlon said the Threatened Species Program would provide a coordinated and integrated framework for managing and conserving threatened species.
“To deliver this program, we will maintain effective partnerships and give ongoing support to the work performed by Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers, community groups, non-government organisations, land managers and the research community,” she said.
Ms Scanlon said threatened species recovery efforts in Queensland were led by the Department of Environment and Science.
“There has never been a more urgent time for us to invest in protection and recovery of threatened species from threats like feral animals and pest plants and the impacts of climate change,” she said.
