Why giving water to a koala could KILL it: Australia’s beloved marsupials can develop pneumonia and die if they’re given a drink from a bottle or hose
- A senior vet has warned giving koalas water from drink bottles could be lethal
- Dr Michael Pine said there is a risk the animals could develop pneumonia
- Dr Pine said his hospital treated about 550 koalas this year, many heat-affected
A wildlife expert has warned that giving koalas water to drink directly from a bottle or hose could kill them.
Currumbin Wildlife Hospital senior vet Michael Pine said that while koalas can be given water to drink it should not be poured down their throats.
‘Normally healthy koalas don’t drink but the incredibly dry conditions means they will because they aren’t getting enough fluid,’ Mr Pine told Daily Mail Australia.
‘As long as the koala is lapping and drinking itself that’s fine but forcing it into their mouth – there is a risk that koala could breathe the liquid.’
Anna Heusler was riding into the Adelaide CBD on Friday when she came across a koala in the middle of the highway (pictured)
He said if water gets into the animal’s lungs they could develop pneumonia, which can be fatal.
Mr Pine said the best way to hydrate koalas was to place a bowl of water on the ground or pour water near their mouth where they can lap at it with their tongue.
He said the hospital has treated about 550 koalas this year – up about 100 from last year with the months September to December seeing particularly high numbers.
‘It’s easy to overlook because of the bushfires but the hot and dry conditions are a bigger problem for them.’
The advice follows a viral video of a cyclist in South Australia giving a koala a drink from a water bottle.
Anna Heusler was riding into the Adelaide CBD on Friday when she came across the parched marsupial in the middle of the highway.
She said she gave the animal water which it gulped – clearly affected by the 42 degree heat in the area on the day.
Ms Donkers also said she had been forced to tape off an area where koalas were resting (pictured) as people were annoying them
Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter founder Kylee Donkers said volunteers for the shelter, located near Cobram in Victoria, have set up GPS tracked water stations for koalas
Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter founder Kylee Donkers also agreed the hot and dry weather is affecting the marsupials and causing them to dehydrate.
Ms Donkers told Daily Mail Australia that volunteers for the shelter, located near Cobram in Victoria, have set up GPS tracked water stations for koalas.
‘We did 15 rescues on Monday of which 13 were heat affected koalas,’ Ms Donkers said.
Temperatures in the region have reached more than 40 degrees on multiple days in the last week.
‘We’re right on the Murray River so people don’t understand why we’re putting water out but it’s because the section of the river is highly camped.’
‘This pushes the koalas right back into the bush where there is no water, we’ve had two dog attacks on koalas that did try to venture to the river.’
Ms Donkers also said she had been forced to tape off an area where koalas were resting as people were annoying them.
‘We’ve had buckets of ice poured over the koalas, people try to give them sandwiches, and even alcohol,’ she said.
A koala drinks water from a bottle given by a firefighter in Cudlee Creek, South Australia on December 22