WIRES asks property-owners to help koalas and register for a drinking station

WIRES is collaborating with WWF-Australia and The Reece Group for the Water For Wildlife Project which will see $1 million worth of the 800 x 220-litre drinkers built and installed around the country before summer.

Recipients would be required to install and maintain the drinkers on an ongoing basis to benefit local wildlife, particularly threatened species.

Well-maintained drinkers are designed to last up to 20 years and they can be relocated over time to areas of higher need if required.

The drinkers - called Tree Troff - were designed by Wildsip based on research conducted by The University of Sydney, which found that koalas used supplemented water extensively throughout the year.

This is particularly frequent when extreme weather events dramatically reduce leaf water content, potentially leading to large-scale mortality due to dehydration, the university found.

Dr Valentina Mella, Post-Doctoral Research Associate - Animal Behaviour and Conservation at The University of Sydney, said: "Our results suggest that future changes in rainfall regimes and temperature in Australia have the potential to critically affect koala populations.

"The more days without rain, the more time koalas spent drinking. During hot weather, visits to water stations were also more frequent, indicating that koalas needed regular access to water."

The arboreal drinkers were also visited by other native animals including sugar gliders, squirrel gliders, feathertail gliders, brushtail possums, tree frogs, geckos, goannas, pythons and a variety of birds including eastern rosellas, musk lorikeets, noisy miners, galahs, cockatoos, butcher birds, kites, owls, apostlebirds and magpies.

Registrations of interest can be submitted at www.wires.org.au/water-for-wildlife. Applications close October 9, and drinkers are scheduled for delivery by October 30