FEARS have been raised about the impacts on koalas from noisy trail bikes being used illegally in conservation reserves in Redlands and Logan City.
Koala detection dog trainer Sarah Fyffe said she observed koalas reacting to noisy trail bikes during a six-week course in Plunkett Conservation Park near Yarrabilba in Logan City where she trained sniffer dog Bear.
Bear found a small colony of koalas and it was noticed they were more nervous than koalas from other areas.
“The reason became clear during one of the dog’s final training sessions,’’ Ms Fyffe said. “After locating a female and her joey, we heard the sounds of trail bikes. The koala and her joey became immediately anxious as the bikes came closer.
“I filmed the female and her joey’s behaviour as the bikes tore through the bush and understood immediately why the koalas in Plunkett are so nervous.
“...I also strongly feel the koalas are being harassed by some not-so-nice people.’’
Koala expert Bill Ellis of the University of Queensland said it was highly probable that noise impacted koalas.
He had just started a project with Grant Hamilton of the Queensland University of Technology to clarify the issue.
Redlands faces the same problems, with the Redland City Council having just started a crack down on illegal trail bike use, particularly in a conservation reserve behind Hilliards State School at Alexandra Hills.
Ms Fyffe works for Detection Dogs for Conservation which is run by Dr Celine Frere and Dr Romane Cristescu of the Sunshine Coast University and funded by the International Fund For Animal Welfare.
Ms Fyffe said something had to be done urgently about the situation while governments also had to make sure there were places for people to ride dirt bikes.
A Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service spokesman said regular joint operations were conducted with
police and fines ranged from $243 to $365. No date was set for further enforcement.
He said anyone who saw bike riders at Plunket should contact QPWS at 13QGOV or police at Crimestoppers on 18003300.
Police and rangers booked more than 40 4WD and trail bike riders in just two days at Plunkett in 2014.
Redland koala populations have crashed by 80 per cent from 1996 to 2014 and may be in terminal decline, according to the report for the Environment Department.
