Koalas Phascolarctos cinereus in Framlingham Forest, south-west Victoria: introduction, translocation and the effects of a bushfire

Koalas were introduced into Framlingham Forest, south-west Victoria, in 1971 and the population grew rapidly. By the 1990s the forest was suffering severe defoliation and many trees preferred by Koalas had been over-browsed. In 1998/99 around 1100 Koalas were captured, the males sterilised and animals translocated to other suitable habitats in western Victoria. Some habitat restoration was subsequently undertaken. In 2007 a deliberately lit fire destroyed most eucalypt foliage and many Koalas were killed or burned and removed by wildlife carers and DSE staff . A survey in 2011 found only two Koalas in the area. A Koala management plan for Framlingham Forest has been prepared. (Th e Victorian Naturalist 130 (1) 2013, 37-40).