Adopt Cathie Vikki

This delightful little 800-gram Joey was admitted to the Koala Hospital following a rather nasty fall out of a palm tree. We do not know how Vikki became separated from her mother, but most likely it was accidental as she was still a little small to have been fully weaned and abandoned. Her mother was probably in a nearby eucalypt tree and she could have either left Vikki to her own devices or Vikki was trying to get back to her mother and got herself into trouble.

Certainly hanging from a palm frond at the very top of a palm tree is not a normal practice for Koalas! Fortunately, some homeowners happened to see the drama unfolding and quickly called the hospital and then they managed to get a mattress under the tree just in case she fell. This proved to be a wise move because sure enough she finally did fall with the onlookers half catching her in the mattress.

However, unfortunately for little Vikki the impact did cause a few problems and she suffered head trauma, which left her with a rather severe case of concussion. Her symptoms, which she presented on admission, were flat, lethargic, sleepy, dilated pupils and little or no response to outside stimuli.

Vikki was taken into home care as it was thought she would not make it through the night. She was still asleep two days later and had to be force-fed her formula every four hours. Finally she woke up as though nothing had happened, and after emptying her little bladder she just simply reverted to being a playful little joey. 

Cathie Vikki was released with other joeys into the Christmas Bells Plains area once she had reached the desired weight.