Did you know that Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane’s Fig Tree Pocket is the world’s oldest and largest koala sanctuary? Founded in 1927 as a refuge for sick, injured, and orphaned koalas, the sanctuary began with a pair of breeding koalas, Jack and Jill. At the time, the now-threatened species was being culled en masse for the booming fur trade.
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During the Second World War, the sanctuary gained international fame when Americans stationed in Brisbane visited to get up close and personal with the photogenic native fauna, even attracting a visit from General Douglas MacArthur’s wife, Jean.
In June 2018, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary opened a state-of-the-art science and research facility, the Brisbane Koala Science Institute. Home to two full-time research staff, a laboratory and a special ‘Koala Biobank’, the institute is working hard to help support dwindling koala populations across the country.
The sanctuary remains a place for the research and conservation of koalas and other Australian wildlife.