UPDATED: THURSDAY
Councillor and action group debate plight of diseased Redland koala after it was put down
A FOUR-year-old female koala, nicknamed Ivory, is being mourned as the first victim of an Ormiston housing development.
Ivory was euthanised at the Daisy Hill Koala Centre on Saturday, January 31, after her stress-related condition deteriorated.
She had been living in trees in Wellington Street, Ormiston, where Fiteni Homes had started preparing the land and 27 gum trees for a 24-lot housing estate.
It is believed the koala became stressed when she was confined to the ground after Fiteni contractors cuffed the lower tree trunks ready for felling them on Monday.
Neighbours saw the animal wandering around in a daze and called the koala centre just after 6pm on Friday, January 30.
Redlands After-hours Wildlife Ambulance collected Ivory and took her to the Daisy Hill Koala Centre before she was transferred to the Moggill Koala Hospital on Saturday, January 31.
Staff at the centre, who declined to be named, said Ivory was underweight with muscle wastage and dehydrated as a result of stress, when she arrived at the Moggill centre.
After examination by a qualified veterinary surgeon, she was euthanised on Saturday, January 31 at the Moggill Hospital.
A spokesman for the Department of Environment and Heritage said Ivory was in a very poor condition, suffering cystitis, bursitis and had very poor body condition when she arrived at the Daisy Hill Koala Centre .
"After euthanising, the carcass was retained by the Moggill Koala Hospital and disposed of by cremation, as per standard practice," the spokesman said.
"Among other things, this protects public safety, reducing the risk of spreading infectious animal diseases and other animals digging up the carcass."
Residents had grown fond of the animal, who they nicknamed after the nearby lane.
It is believed she had been living in the trees adjoining the development site since she was released from the Daisy Hill centre about four years ago along with other orphaned koalas.
Fiteni Homes axed the 27 trees on Monday, two days after Ivory died, after rejecting proposals from the residents to buy the land to save the trees.
Residents were planning a memorial tribute for the dead koala.
KOALA DEBATE TAKES TO FACEBOOK
CAPALABA councillor Paul Gleeson took to Facebook to defend his mayor, Cr Karen Williams, and her recent policy to donate $30,000 for research into koala diseases.
"It's sad, but the koala's death is not related to the development," he wrote.
He said information from the Moggill Koala Hospital said the koala "apparently died from cystitis, a urinary tract infection and bursar (cysts)".
"Both of these conditions are caused by Chlamydia, which 100per cent of SEQ koalas carry – they can then develop the other conditions," he wrote.
"The vet was unable to say how long they would take to kill the koala, but she said it would most likely be months."
His online comment prompted Redlands Koala Action Group's Debbie Pointing to respond. Ms Pointing said most koalas in SEQ carried the Chlamydia virus but clinical symptoms usually manifested when they were under stress as their immune system became compromised.
"We have been advised that this female had lived in the immediate area for about four years and last year had a baby which she wouldn’t have been able to reproduce if she had the disease then," Ms Pointing said.
"Her health appeared to deteriorate once changes started on the development site so council will be hard pressed to convince the community her death wasn’t linked to this development.
"No amount of money that the mayor throws at vaccinating against disease will save koalas until they stop approving destruction of their habitat."
