‘Leaf thief’: Cheeky koala’s costly antics

A brazen koala, nicknamed Claude, who snuck into a nursery to munch on eucalypt seedlings being grown specifically for him and his mates has inspired animal activists to help out the hungry guy.

Claude made international headlines in September when he was caught red handed climbing down and began munching on eucalypt seedlings in the Eastern Forest Nursery near Lismore, in Northern NSW.

But his antics had been going on for sometime without the nursery workers able to figure out how their seedlings were getting destroyed.

Claude had previously been raiding seedlings at night or on weekend days when no one was around, costing the business up to $6000 in damages.

Eastern Forest Nursery Manager Humphrey Herington said he was shocked when his staff saw with their own eyes they cheeky koala feeding directly from his plants.

“I would never have believed it until I saw Claude sitting there on the pole,” he said.

“We all found it quite amusing, but at the same time, he has caused quite a lot of damage and continues to come back and visit the nursery.

“I’m happy we have resident koalas but I’d prefer Claude not to be coming in and feeding on our seedlings.”

But the ongoing criminal activity needed to come to an end somehow.

Mr Herington said the nursery received a donation to cover “Claude’s restaurant bill” of the 6000 seedlings he tastily devoured. .

“Once that happened, we donated those seedlings back to WWF to use in community projects,” he said.

About 500 seedlings have since been planted so far in a paddock near the nursery in the hopes Claude and his friends won’t munch on seedlings designed for sale.

WWF-Australia Koalas Forever project officer Maria Borges said Claude’s naughty behaviour revealed to those in the community that there was a desperate need for food trees.

“This area in the Northern Rivers, especially around Lismore, is heavily cleared and it’s really missing good quality habitat for them,” Ms Borges said.

“We need to plant more trees and urgently stop tree clearing especially around the Northern Rivers which is a stronghold for koala populations in NSW.

“Through our Koalas Forever program, WWF is working with about 10 local communities, including traditional owners and Indigenous Rangers, to deliver habitat restoration and revegetation projects in the area.

“We’ve funded the planting of about 400,000 trees so far and we’re aiming for 500,000 by the end of the year.”

Greens MP Sue Higginson, whose farm the seedlings were planted on, welcomed the extra plant life and chance to help the koalas in her own backyard.

“We’re in one of the most biodiverse, rich areas on this continent, but historical clearing has seriously degraded the area,” Ms Higginson said.

“Living with koalas is an incredibly special, exciting, and fun thing.

“The seedlings planted today are in addition to the 10,000 trees we have put in the ground here over the last couple of years.

“We’re doing this because we have an incredible koala population hanging on for dear survival right here.

“We’re certain the trees we’ve planted are making a difference for koalas and the resilience of the landscape.

“As farmers, we know that increased biodiversity on our place means increased productivity.”

While it might take a while for the rest of the seedlings to grow into enough food for local koalas, Mr Herington urged Claude to be patient.

“Claude if you’re watching this, please come back when they’ve grown into trees, not when they’re in our nursery as seedlings,” he said.

“This planting is 500 trees, so there’s plenty more. There are more jobs to come with these seedlings.”