Koalas, despite their nickname, are not bears but marsupials. The babies, called joeys, develop in their mother’s pouch for about six months; they then spend the next six months riding on their mothers’ backs while using the pouch to feed and sleep. As adults, Koalas spend most of their lives in eucalyptus trees. They sleep […]
Tag: Koalas
‘Road to extinction’: koalas could soon be listed as endangered in swathes of eastern Australia
Koalas could soon be listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory after bushfires smashed already struggling populations and destroyed precious habitat. A federal panel of threatened species experts has recommended the marsupial’s status be upgraded from vulnerable in each of the three jurisdictions. Josey Sharrad from the International Fund […]
Petition: Maya the Senior Dog Helps Search and Rescue Koalas in Australia
“I started thinking that maybe there was another animal that could find these scats by relying on their nose.” Koala poo is very smelly, but it doesn’t smell like poo – it smells like eucalyptus. Using your eyes, they are quite hard to spot, but for dogs the smell would be like a rose in […]
‘Sliding towards extinction’: koala may be given endangered listing as numbers plummet
The koala is being considered for official listing as endangered after the summer’s bushfire disaster and ongoing habitat destruction on the east coast forced the government to reconsider its threat status. The iconic species, which is currently listed as vulnerable under national environment laws, is among 28 animals that could have their threat status upgraded, […]
Koalas Face Extinction in Next 30 Years Without Urgent Intervention, Report Warns
Koala populations across parts of Australia are on track to become extinct before 2050 unless “urgent government intervention” occurs, warns a year-long inquiry into Australia’s “most loved animal.” The report published by the Parliament of New South Wales (NSW) paints a “stark and depressing snapshot” of koalas in Australia’s southeastern state. “Even before the devastating […]
113 Animal Species Identified as Needing “Urgent” Help After Record-Breaking Australian Fires
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 […]
Petition: Ban Logging in Koala Habitats
Recently, a woman named Helen Oakley shared a devastating video on Facebook after coming across dozens of dead and injured koalas on a gum plantation. The trees had been bulldozed with koalas still in them. It was a heartless and cruel act against Australia’s precious animals, especially when one-third of the species‘ population was wiped […]
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 […]