Credit: Heidi Cuschieri – Wildcare Australia Inc
Although they can swim, koalas will drown if they cannot get out of the pool. Help keep them safe by providing an escape route.
Koalas are at risk of drowning in our swimming pools. Despite being able to swim, if there are no assisted ways for a koala to climb out of a pool they will eventually drown.
Unfortunately, this was the case for Summer, a female koala who was found at the bottom of a family pool in Arundel on the Gold Coast.
Suspected of taking this misadventure whilst looking for water to drink, Summer and other koalas can fall victim to drowning in our swimming pools due to the inability to grip onto the edge and climb out.
Here are some ways you can prevent this happening to koalas in your swimming pool
Attach a thick rope to a floating device and secure it at one end to a tree or a post at the side of the pool and place the other into the water.
Fence the pool area with a koala-proof fence made from materials such as transparent glass, Perspex or steel.
Cover your pool with a tight pool cover when not in use.
Have an escape ramp or stairs in your pool.