June 2021 update
The team at Aussie Ark has established the world’s first and largest WILD Koala Sanctuary. Koala Ark will protect 7,000 hectares of koala habitat and secure a wild population of 1,000-1,500 koalas.
Koalas in NSW and Queensland have had catastrophic losses and are on the trajectory for extinction by 2050 at the current rate of decline. There are around 1,000 koalas in captivity in Australia. Because of poor genetics and disease risk, the captive population does not provide support to the wild population.
Brain sponsors a Koala (named Poly, after our polyurethane products) at the Ark.
May 2021 update
Neville the Tasmanian Devil that Brain sponsors at Aussie Ark has some more mates to hang out with. Seven devils have been born at the sanctuary – the first to be born on the Australian mainland for 3,000 years!
Meet Neville and Poly
A Tasmanian devil and a koala are new special members of the Brain Industries’ team.
Brain Industries has started sponsoring two animals through NSW Hunter-region based animal welfare charity, Aussie Ark. And the team has named the male Tasmanian devil, Sir Neville the Devil.They are calling the female koala – Princess Poly (after polyurethane, which Brain uses to manufacture a number of products.)
Managing Director Gillian Summers says the sponsorship is one way Brain Industries and its staff can give back to the community to solve a major problem.
“We admire and share Aussie Ark’s focus on successfully developing innovative solutions to problems,” Ms Summers says.
“The Packer family donated 2,000ha of land in Barrington Tops,” she says.
“The team is gradually fencing areas, and getting rid of feral animals so they can introduce native species.”
The problem of feral cats
Visiting Aussie Ark, Ms Summers learned feral cats and foxes are a major threat to Australian mammals. There’s also environmental degradation from rabbits, hares, and other introduced grazing species.”
Feral cats kill about 20 billion birds, reptiles and mammals each year. The highly invasive weed, Scotch broom, has also been displacing huge tracks of fauna-friendly rainforests and woodlands in the Barrington Tops’ highlands.
About Aussie Ark
Aussie Ark was established in 2011 as ‘Devil Ark’, by Australian Reptile Park Director , John Weigel AM. The bold plan was to save the iconic Tasmanian devil from extinction. Tasmanian devils been born at Aussie Ark and a number are back living in Tasmania.
Its overwhelming success has seen the organisation expand to being an innovative life raft for seven threatened Australian wildlife species. Its bush habitat protects 50 species of mammals, 278 species of birds, 42 species of reptiles, and 18 species of frogs.
To join Brain Industries in supporting the valuable work of Aussie Ark click here.
