The Strzelecki/South Gippsland Koala is the most important koala population remaining in Victoria and South Australia. The animal is a direct descendent from the original Victorian koala gene pool.
All other koala populations throughout Victoria and South Australia are the result of translocations from a handful of animals sent to French Island in the late 19th century.
The Strzelecki animals may also hold the key for the survival of the species in Australia, as koala populations in Queensland and New South Wales continue to succumb to a variety of environmental problems.