Photograph of a furry, brown koala contentedly sitting in a v-shaped space between tree branches.

Koala found in a River Red Gum tree in the middle Murrindindi River. Photo by US Forest Service BAER Team Member Rich Pyzik.

Quiet Koala Found within Kilmore East–Murrindindi Complex North Fire

  • Rich Pyzik, US Forest Service—BAER Team Geologist
  • Cathleen Thompson, US Forest Service—BAER Team Information Officer

ALEXANDRA, Victoria, Australia, Mar. 10, 2009—Several members of Erv Gasser's US Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team, currently on assignment in Australia assisting with the Victoria bushfires, were conducting post–fire assessments near a bridge along the Murrindindi River. The group sighted a Koala perched on a Red River Gum tree next to the bridge—curiously watching them.

The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a tree–dwelling marsupial that can be found in the Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria. They are found in a range of habitats — from coastal islands and tall Eucalyptus forests to inland areas of low woodland, such as the area where the Kilmore East–Murrindindi Complex North fire has already burned approximately 625,000 acres (253,000 hectares) of forest, woodland, and pasture. The Koala averages about 9 kg (20lb) in weight. Its fur is thick and usually ash grey with some traces of brown.

The Upper Murrindindi River, upstream from the area where the Koala was found, was severely burned by the recent Victoria state bushfires and had significant amounts of top–killed vegetation along with high soil burn severity. Gasser US BAER team members, Rich Pyzik (US Forest Service), Bill Sims (US Bureau of Indian Affairs), and Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) employee Andrea Joyce, were conducting field evaluations to identify values and assets–at–risk within and downstream of the burned area. The Murrindindi River bridge is located downstream from the fire perimeter that the BAER team evaluated for potential threats from increased post–fire stream and debris–laden flows.

US BAER team members continue to work with local resource experts to determine potential direct and indirect fire impacts to life, property, natural, and cultural resources within and downstream of the bushfire areas.