Written by: Karin Machell, Advocacy Chief for Moreton Bay Koala Rescue Inc.
Pine Rivers Koala Care (PRKC) is a voluntary organisation that operates as a local community group within all areas of Moreton Bay and North Brisbane.
Established in 1995, PRKC has a proud history of rescuing and rehabilitating koalas and other native wildlife as well as reporting the numbers of koalas hit by vehicles, attacked by dogs, and struck down by diseases to local and state governments.
Since launching, PRKC now operates a 24/7 ambulance service for the rescue and rehabilitation of all koalas and wildlife, attending to over 300 koala calls and 1000 wildlife calls each year.
Jimmy’s Story
Jimmy was a well-known and loved local koala in Joyner in the Moreton Bay Region. His home range spanned from the back streets behind Genesis Christian College through to the other side of Youngs Crossing Road in Joyner.
Jimmy was a very adventurous alpha male, and his many misadventures left him in very hostile urban settings.
Jimmy was first spotted up a power pole on Youngs Crossing Road. He was named after Big Jim, a previous koala that seemed to negotiate the same yards, streets and even power poles!
After that encounter, it seemed that he was always in trouble.
He was cornered by a dog in a yard in 2020 and climbed a ladder to safety. Jimmy stayed still, up the ladder, until rescuers arrived. When they did, he held out his sore hand to them, as if to show where he had been bitten.
No matter how often Jimmy was released to a safe location, he would always return to the same area near the roadside.
It was evident that Jimmy did not want to leave his home range.
Dog attacks, and car hits, it did seem that he was invincible until his luck ran out in 2021.
At age 7, Jimmy ran the gauntlet of Youngs Crossing Road just at the wrong time.
Jimmy raised awareness in the Moreton Bay community and is sorely missed by all.
SEQ Koala Count
Pine Rivers Koala Care’s incredible group of volunteers will be participating in the South East Queensland Co-ordinated Koala Count which is running from September 30th to October 8th.
Find out more and see how you can get involved here.
Join the team at Pine Rivers Koala Care
If you would like to know more about volunteering with Pine Rivers Koala Care, or how you could otherwise support us, please contact prkcai@prkoalacare.com.au.
Our Rescue phone number is: 0401 350 799
Thank you for all your amazing work ❤️🐨🌳🙏