Australia was having an extinction crisis before the fires hit. There were 511 animal species, 1,356 plant species and 82 distinct ecological communities nationally threatened. But the fires were devastating and record breaking. One-third of koalas (an already endangered species) were killed and scientists estimate that over one billion animals died. And now there are […]
Tag: koala
Koalas found dead on Australia logging plantation
Dozens of koalas have been found dead or injured at a timber plantation in the Australian state of Victoria, sparking an investigation by officials. Blue gum trees – an important koala habitat – were harvested from the plantation in December, leaving only a few isolated stands of trees. Some koalas had starved to death in […]
Petition: Support the Proposal for a Refuge to Save Koalas From Extinction!
Koalas are severely affected by deforestation in Australia. It’s been putting the species’ population at risk of extinction, and then the bushfires this year have only compounded the threats that koalas face. A new proposal, for a refuge however, could help save koalas from extinction and allow the species to recover. Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne […]
Watch Brave Woman Rescue Koala from Blazing Australian Bushfires
As bush fires in Australia continue to ravage the country, one woman’s heroic act saved a koala. Toni Doherty found a koala wandering on the road, picked him up and brought him to a local animal hospital. The koala, dubbed Ellenborough Lewis, had severe burns on his hands, feet, arms and legs. Port Macquarie Koala […]
Koala and kangaroo culling considered as numbers become ‘overabundant’
Animals including koalas and kangaroos could be culled in parts of South Australia, where high population numbers are damaging the landscape. A report from a parliamentary inquiry has recommended the state’s environment minister make an immediate decision to declare koalas, western grey kangaroos, long-nosed fur seals and little corellas overabundant in some areas. Culling is […]
Hundreds of flying foxes die in searing Australian heat
A colony of flying foxes has been nearly wiped out by extreme heat in Campbelltown in south-west Sydney, according to environmentalists. The Help Save the Wildlife and Bushlands in Campbelltown campaign posted a series of images to Facebook showing the corpses of the animals lying in the ground, apparently after they had died from dehydration […]
Koala cull resumes in Australian tourist destination
They may be a national symbol, but authorities in Australia are culling a colony of koalas in a popular tourist destination. The move from the state government of Victoria is in reaction to the burgeoning koala population at Cape Otway, in the south of Australia. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWEP) is […]
Poll: Should koalas be culled in overpopulated areas to prevent starvation?
Australia needs to consider allowing healthy koalas to be euthanised in order to control numbers in overpopulated areas, where the animals risk dying painfully from starvation, a koala expert says. Although not endangered in any state, koalas are listed as vulnerable in the eastern states of Queensland and New South Wales, where their habitat is […]
