Frodo scarred but in remarkable climb back to health

SEE YOU LATER: Australia Zoo carers release Frodo after her recovery from shotgun wounds. Source: news.com article 22-6-11

BUT for the red tag in her ear and some fading scars, Frodo looked like any other koala as she scampered up a towering eucalyptus tree.

The moment marked a return to the wild for the furry critter who tugged on the state’s heart strings when she was found blasted with shotgun pellets next to her dead mother last year.

Since then, Frodo has staged a remarkable recovery, overcoming horrific injuries to be released back into the bush by her carers from the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.

Vet Amber Gillett, who nursed Frodo back from the brink, said their final goodbye on the Sunshine Coast was sweet, but emotional.

There were moments when she didn’t believe Frodo would pull through. Her injuries included a fractured skull and terrible internal injuries from 15 shotgun pellets found lodged in her tiny body.

“Releasing Frodo back into the wild was a great feeling. She was such a special case,” Dr Gillett said yesterday.

“When Frodo was admitted, she was a very sick little girl and her chance of survival was unknown.

“She was at risk for several months from succumbing to lead poisoning from the number of pellets in her tiny body. Luckily she overcame that.”

Australia Zoo rescue unit chief Brian Coulter said everything possible had been done to prepare Frodo for her new life back in the bush, including a period of minimal contact in the lead-up to her release.

Frodo’s carers aren’t saying exactly when or where she was released.

They are hoping they have seen the last of her and she will not again require their help