Overview

• The NSW environment department moved 13 koalas in April from Upper Nepean State Conservation Area to South East Forest National Park to restore a locally extinct population.
• Seven of the relocated koalas died after release, with necropsies on the initial fatalities indicating acute infections and suggesting septicaemia linked to recent heavy rainfall.
• The translocation effort remains suspended while veterinarians and researchers examine whether wet weather, diet or gut microbiome factors compromised koala immunity.
• Authorities declared the six surviving koalas healthy and returned them to their original Upper Nepean habitat earlier this month.
• NSW Greens environment spokesperson Sue Higginson has called the project a catastrophic failure and is demanding a formal review of its planning, risk management and transparency.