WIRES has announced a collaboration to build and distribute arboreal water stations for native wildlife. This is a direct result of research by University of Sydney that found koalas use supplemented water extensively throughout the year, particularly during extreme weather events. The arboreal drinkers were also visited by a large variety of other native animals.
The program will see 800 TREE TROFF® arboreal drinkers disbursed to fire and drought affected areas.
The project is a direct result of research by the University of Sydney that found koalas used supplemented water extensively throughout the year. This is particularly frequent when extreme weather events dramatically reduce leaf water content, potentially leading to large-scale mortality due to dehydration.
The research results suggest that future changes in rainfall regimes and temperature in Australia have the potential to critically affect koala populations. The more days without rain, the more time koalas spent drinking. During hot weather, visits to water stations were also more frequent, indicating that koalas needed regular access to water.
The arboreal drinkers were also visited by other native animals including sugar gliders, squirrel gliders, feathertail gliders, brushtail possums, tree frogs, geckos, goannas, pythons and a variety of birds including eastern rosellas, musk lorikeets, noisy miners, galahs, cockatoos, butcher birds, kites, owls, apostlebirds and magpies.
