Chery Australia contributes more than $120,000 to redeveloped Port Macquarie Koala Hospital

Chery's latest contribution and what it funds

Chery Australia has announced a partnership contribution of more than $120,000 to Koala Conservation Australia, supporting the redeveloped Port Macquarie Koala Hospital and the organisation's world-first Wild Koala Breeding Program. Announced in Sydney on 15 October 2026, the contribution marks what the brand describes as the next step in its ongoing partnership with the not-for-profit. ¹

The latest amount was generated through a $10 contribution from every Chery vehicle sold. According to Chery Australia's announcement, the initiative brings the brand's total support for Koala Conservation Australia in 2026 to more than $250,000. ¹

Chery Australia Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris congratulated KCA on the hospital's opening, saying the partnership was about providing support that makes a tangible difference, whether contributing to the new hospital, sponsoring Nigel's yard or providing a vehicle to help the team carry out rescue work in the community. ¹

Marcus Guthrie, Executive Director of Koala Conservation Australia, said the organisation was incredibly grateful for Chery's continued support, adding that backing from partners plays an important role in providing the facilities, care and resources needed to rescue, rehabilitate and protect koalas. ¹

Inside the redeveloped hospital

The redevelopment of the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital includes a new koala clinic with temperature-controlled intensive care units, smart misting systems, accessible viewing areas, interactive exhibits, an onsite retail boutique and a new Koala Museum, according to Chery Australia's announcement. The facilities are intended to enhance koala care, rehabilitation and visitor education. ¹

Local tourism publication Discover Port Macquarie reports that the world's first koala hospital, which has operated for more than 50 years and welcomes over 100,000 visitors a year, has undergone a $10 million transformation and is once again open to the public. Visitors can observe the koala clinic through an observation window and listen as vets discuss treatment and care. ⁵

As part of its support, Chery is sponsoring a koala yard currently home to Nigel, a male koala rescued by KCA after becoming entangled in a wire fence. Chery Australia states the injuries were severe and resulted in the amputation of one of Nigel's legs; he is now cared for at Port Macquarie, where carers know him for his resilience and cheeky personality. ¹

How the partnership began

The contribution follows the establishment of the partnership, announced in August 2026, when Chery Australia said it would loan KCA a Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid vehicle for daily conservation activities and make a $10 partnership contribution for every vehicle sold over the following three months. Those contributions were directed towards koala welfare, habitat restoration, and long-term research and community education programs. ³

At the partnership's launch, KCA Chair Sue Ashton said the organisation's world-first breeding program, which breeds koalas for release back to the wild, was making a leading contribution to stemming the loss of wild koalas in NSW. She predicted that, without interventions and initiatives like the partnership, koalas in the wild would be extinct in NSW by 2050. ³

The wider conservation effort in the region

The NSW Government details a separate regional partnership with Koala Conservation Australia, supported with $600,000 under the NSW Koala Strategy. The government's environment site says the Port Macquarie and Kempsey region contains four of the 19 populations prioritised for support under the strategy and hosts one of the largest and most stable koala populations in New South Wales. ²

The NSW Government states this support brings total investment in the Port Macquarie and Kempsey region to $1.55 million under the NSW Koala Strategy. Key work includes restoring and improving 250 hectares of habitat, working with Port Macquarie Hastings and Kempsey Shire councils to reduce vehicle strikes, and creating koala habitat maps with Kempsey Shire Council. ²

Koala conservation infrastructure investment extends beyond Port Macquarie. Friends of the Koala, which operates the Northern Rivers Koala Hospital in Lismore, is fundraising $500,000 to complete the final stage of its hospital expansion, covering clinical fit-out including treatment rooms, a sterile surgical suite, three ICU rooms and a dedicated chlamydia PCR laboratory. ⁴