WITH a little bit of land and a splash of water, you could help save koalas.
Port Stephens Koala Hospital has 2000 tiny trees that urgently need to be planted, and has called on the community to help find homes for them, to ensure a sustainable food supply for sick animals.
"Our team would come and plant them, and we would ask if they would be able to please maintain them and care for them," the hospital's general manager Georgie Cairns said.
Then, in about five years when they're a few metres tall, staff would ask for access to the land to harvest branches to take back and feed the 100 or so koalas that need the hospital's help every year.
The hospital is asking locals to volunteer some space for the trees to thrive if they have it.
A minimum commitment of about 20 trees would be needed per property, and the trees need three to five metres between them.
"It's something special for them to do for the koalas into the future," Ms Cairns said.
Port Stephens Koala Hospital's plantation team can travel as far as the Raymond Terrace area to harvest the branches.
Koalas, known for hanging about in trees and eating all day, need a large amount of leaves to fill them up and to help get the sick or injured ones better.
"It's really important that we get more trees in the ground ... it ensures that we do have more trees moving forward," Ms Cairns said.
The hospital's plantation staff head out about three times per week to collect leaves for their furry little patients, and would aim to visit each planting once or twice a year.
About 10 per cent of the tree is clipped each time.
Ms Cairns said anyone who could assist would be helping the hospital with "vital conservation work for the koalas in the area that need our help".
Anyone with the space who thinks they could help has been urged to call the Port Stephens Koala Hospital or email the plantation team directly on plantations@pskh.com.au as soon as possible.
The organisation relies on donations, fundraising and volunteers to keep up its services, and anyone that might be able to help out in other ways can contact the organisation.
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