IT'S almost too much for a koala to bear and for many other animals, too – the drought is taking its toll on wildlife.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
At Breeza, Kelly Cains has captured a couple of cute images that focus attention on the plight of our native animals in the big dry.
Her latest visitor is a young bloke they’ve called Tom, for peeping Tom, because he’s a curious little fella who often sits in the gum trees out the front watching the household goings-on.
“There is a small colony of koalas at Breeza, under threat from the Shenhua Watermark coalmine, and they frequently pass through our properties, staying for a few days then moving on and returning a week or two later,” Ms Cains said.
But Tom arrived a couple of weeks ago looking pretty dehydrated and has stuck around.
“This morning I was up at 6.30 and watched him climb down from the gum tree and start wandering around the front yard,” she said yesterday.
“He was in search of water, stopping by the bird bath and aviary but couldn’t access this water. Then he found the soggy spot near the leaking bore water tank and lapped up what he could.
“Later in the morning he was sitting at the back door in my carport area, so I gave him a bowl of water, where he has been happily sitting and sipping ever since. He blows bubbles through his nose while drinking, too. It’s very cute.”
Ms Cains said she’d also noticed the number of birds that found a haven in her garden had increased lately, seemed thirstier and hungrier and hung around more.