A WANDERING koala rescued from a housing unit in central Warrnambool this week has re-ignited concerns about urban sprawl eating into vegetation corridors.
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The city council will be asked to consider allocating more areas for trees and scrub suitable for wildlife.
A stray adult male koala weighing about 11 kilograms wandered from scrub near Gilles Street to the war memorial and across busy Merri Street on Thursday evening before being corralled into an entrance foyer.
rescuers then relocated the animal to an area closer to the city boundary.
He is believed to be the same koala rescued from Kepler Street recently after scampering across Raglan Parade and triggering a minor rear-end collision.
“I think Warrnambool has the opportunity to be a really green city with corridors which will help mitigate the number of incidents with wildlife movements,” Koroit-based carer Tracey Wilson said.
“It’s a worldwide problem and some cities have addressed the issue in their planning guidelines.
“We’ve always had wandering wallabies, but the increase in koala movements is alarming.
“Koalas follow a familiar path through vegetation corridors and if trees are removed from that path they become confused.”
She said housing developments to the north and east of the city had triggered more incidents of wandering wildlife and there were concerns the new residential zone on Wollaston Road could have similar effects.
Removal of gum trees and scrub along Russells Creek last year as part of a flood mitigation project has also been linked to a surge in wandering wallabies and koalas.
Ms Wilson said wallaby deaths caused by dogs chasing them into waterways had also increased.
“We’ve had three in four weeks in Warrnambool and at least two in Port Fairy this summer,” she said.
“That’s alarming. As tourism numbers increase dog owners need to be aware that wildlife frequents the coastal vegetation.”