Background on Fleet
On Thursday 13 October 2011, the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit responded to a call for help from Moreton Bay Koala Rescue Inc. regarding an injured koala in Kippa-ring, north of Brisbane, which had sustained facial injuries of which the cause was unknown.
The male koala named Fleet was assessed by wildlife veterinarian Dr Amber Gillett. Assessment revealed a six year old male koala who sustained injuries consistent with a slug gun. X-rays revealed seven pellets littered throughout his body; one pellet lodged in his skull, lower back and behind his ear as well as one pellet in each limb.
On Thursday 20 October Fleet 2011 underwent further assessment by Dr Amber Gillett, who checked him over and cleaned up his wounds following surgery to remove three pellets.
After many weeks of cleansing and bandaging his infected foot Fleet’s wounds appeared to be slowly but surely healing and he was moved out of the Intensive Care Unit and into an outdoor enclosure at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital to continue his recovery.