Possums in the roof, koalas in bed: study shows how animals resort to Australian homes after habitat loss — SkimNews
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- Wildlife Victoria supplied a decade of rescue report data for a People and Nature study that documented 2,400 cases of animals using Australian buildings as habitat
- Brushtail and ringtail possums made up roughly half of all cases, followed by microbats and bare-nosed wombats, with roof spaces, walls, garages, and underfloor areas the most common locations
- Bethany Kiss, a University of Melbourne architect and lead author, said animals are turning to buildings as substitute habitat because natural hollows are disappearing
- About 10% of the 2,400 cases involved animals found inside living spaces such as bedrooms and kitchens, including seven juvenile sugar gliders discovered under one caller's sink
- Other notable rescues included an echidna that entered a pantry and pulled items off shelves, and a koala in New South Wales that sat calmly on a woman's bed after scampering down her hallway
- Microbats of Melbourne specialist Ericka Tudhope said bats commonly roost in roofs, eat insects, and rarely damage wiring, describing them as low-maintenance housemates
- Kiss contrasted Australia's accidental cohabitation with the UK, where new builds must include 'swift nesting bricks,' and called for embedding ecologists in Australian building design alongside engineers
Why it matters: The study reframes Australian human-wildlife encounters as routine rather than rare, backed by 2,400 documented cases over a decade, and positions building design as an untapped lever. Lead author Kiss, an architect, points to the UK's swift nesting brick requirements as the kind of intentional habitat-by-design approach Australia currently lacks.
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