Tag Archives: koala

Curious koala sneaks into Australian home and climbs Christmas tree

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By Jack Guy, CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/03/asia/koala-christmas-tree-australia-scli-intl/index.html

Updated 10:49 AM ET, Thu December 3, 2020An adorable festive koala broke into an unsuspecting couple's home and set up camp in their Christmas tree.An adorable festive koala broke into an unsuspecting couple’s home and set up camp in their Christmas tree.

(CNN)Picture a Christmas tree and you’ll probably think of baubles, tinsel and fairy lights, but one Australian woman came home to find an unusual adornment: A koala.Surprised by the unusual visitor, Amanda McCormick, who lives in Coromandel Valley near Adelaide, southern Australia, called local koala rescue organization 1300Koalaz.”This evening our hotline operator took a call. At first she thought she was the victim of a prank call,” wrote the organization in a Facebook post Wednesday.”But no, a koala desperate to get in the Christmas spirit had wandered into Amanda McCormick’s house and decided it wanted to be the fairy on the Christmas tree.”

Koala populations are in decline due to increased human impacts on nature

Koala populations are in decline due to increased human impacts on natureDee Hearne-Hellon, 1300Koalaz co-founder, told CNN that it is not unheard of for koalas to enter homes, but it’s not an everyday occurrence.”The koala was a healthy juvenile female and was released out the front of the house, which is in a really lovely area for koalas if they have to live amongst us,” said Hearne-Hellon. “The koala was still in the same tree she chose to climb when I saw her today (Thursday).”The team celebrated the successful removal on Facebook with a festive ditty: “Tis the season to be jolly, Koalalalala Lalalala.”However, Hearne-Hellon warned against trying to move koalas by yourself.”(The) best thing to do is leave them alone as they can get aggressive and call 1300koalaz to remove them,” she said. “As cute as they look they have very long claws and very sharp teeth.”

First baby koala born in Australian wildlife park since devastating New South Wales bushfires

First baby koala born in Australian wildlife park since devastating New South Wales bushfiresKoalas are one of Australia’s most famous animals, but populations are under increasing threat due to the impact of humans.Bushfires, habitat fragmentation, vehicle collisions and dog attacks — all which hurt koalas — have been getting worse over the last decade.That has led to species population decline and increased disease among koalas, according to research published in the academic journal PLOS ONE at the end of October.The number of diseased koalas increased over the course of 30 years, while the number of sick koalas that could be released back into the wild dropped, the study said.An earlier version of this story made the common but forgivable error that koalas are a type of bear. While they share some physical characteristics with bears (fuzzy ears, cute noses), they are marsupials.

CNN’s Lauren Kent contributed to this report.

Fears koalas could be extinct in NSW by 2050 prompts calls to halt salvage logging

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JUNE 30 2020 – 1:30PM

Federal Politics

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6812635/game-has-changed-dramatically-fears-koalas-could-go-extinct-in-nsw/#gsc.tab=0

Even before the fires, koalas had seen a 26 per cent decline in numbers in NSW. Picture: Karleen Minney.

 Even before the fires, koalas had seen a 26 per cent decline in numbers in NSW. Picture: Karleen Minney.

The NSW government has been urged to rethink salvage logging operations in the state, after a parliamentary inquiry found koalas could become extinct in the next 30 years without urgent action.

A Greens and Labor-dominated NSW parliamentary committee has found koala populations have been shrinking throughout the state, due to the effects of land clearing for agriculture, mining and development.

It concluded the official government estimate of 36,000 koalas within the state was “outdated and unreliable”, given dramatic declines in key local populations since 2012.

At least 5000 koalas are also estimated to have perished during the 2019-20 bushfires.

Some parts of the state, such as Port Macquarie, lost up to 90 per cent of their koala populations in the fires.

“Given the scale of loss to koala populations across New South Wales as a result of the 2019- 20 bushfires and without urgent government intervention to protect habitat and address all other threats, the koala will become extinct in NSW before 2050,” their report said.

The committee called for a halt to salvage logging operations in light of the fires.

“In light of the above evidence and the ongoing recovery efforts in burnt forests, the committee acknowledges that the forests are essential habitats for not just koalas, but other threatened species, and need to be monitored for recovery before any further decisions about salvage logging are made,” their report said.

“The committee thus recommends that the government consider the impacts of logging in all public native (non-plantation) forests in the context of enabling koala habitat to be first identified and then protected by a combination of transferring land to national parks … where appropriate.”

It also urged the government to rule out opening up old growth forests in the state forest reserve for logging.

The inquiry was set up more than a year ago after series concerns about the future of the koala.

Even before the fires, the species had seen a 26 per cent decline in numbers.

The committee heard from James Fitzgerald, a wildlife carer based near Canberra, who lost both his home and all of his animal enclosures in the January fires. The koalas he had rescued from earlier fires were also lost.

Mr Fitzgerald said many koalas he was now finding were extremely thin and had to euthanised.

“Their luck is running out because there is just no food across vast areas,” Mr Fitzgerald told the inquiry.

The species was also vulnerable to the increasing impacts of climate change.

The recent drought also meant koalas were no longer able to get adequate hydration from eucalyptus leaves, and were descending from trees to drink from garden hoses and water bowls.

Chair of the committee, Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, warned future generations may not see a koala in the wild again if the report was ignored.

“Following the disastrous 2019-20 bushfire season, it is undoubtable that the game has changed dramatically for koalas. The evidence could not be more stark. The only way our children’s grandchildren will see a koala in the wild in NSW will be if the government acts upon the committee’s recommendations,” Ms Faehrmann said.

Hundreds of koalas brutally massacred during routine logging in Victoria, says Animals Australia

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https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/hundreds-of-koalas-brutally-massacred-during-routine-logging-in-victoria/news-story/d4078cd7400f00fef44cc8a22594ab10

Heartbreaking images of a brutal koala “massacre” have surfaced – and their deaths have nothing to do with the fires. WARNING: Graphic

Adrianna Zappavigna
news.com.auFEBRUARY 2, 20208:18PM

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Hundreds of koalas have reportedly been killed in Victoria this week, with heartbreaking images surfacing online, after logging 12km west of Portland.

Animals Australia has shared heartbreaking images of injured and dead koalas – now a threatened species after one of Australia’s most damaging bushfire seasons on record – from a razed bluegum plantation.

“Koalas are having their homes mowed down,” said Animals Australia.

“On becoming aware of this situation on Friday, we flew in a veterinary team,” Animals Australia confirmed on Sunday morning.

“With the support of local authorities and wildlife carers, vets are seeking to save as many of these precious animals as possible.”

RELATED: ‘The koala desperately needs our help’

RELATED: Have bushfires rendered koalas ‘functionally extinct’?

The details of this case are still unknown, Animals Australia confirmed on Sunday.

“We are still gathering the details as to what has occurred in this case but it would appear that there are various breaches of legislation, including the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which we will be supporting authorities to pursue,” they said on social media.

“By law, the companies that own these plantations must provide koala ‘spotters’ to identify koalas in trees before logging commences, so that animals can be safely removed and relocated.

“There is also a legal responsibility to ensure the welfare of koalas after logging has ceased.”

It’s assumed that in the wake of recent habitat destruction due to bushfires, many koalas sought refuge on commercial property. “The logging of these forests then destroys precious habitat,” shared Animals Australia.

Wildlife Victoria CEO Dr Megan Davidson said it was impossible to understand how the logging could happen if koalas were in them.

“In these tragic cases, we are so sad not only for the animals, but also for the wildlife carers and vets who are on the ground dealing with the horrors of dead, broken, sick and orphaned animals,” Davidson said.

Dead koalas were spotted after the logging took place. Picture: Twitter – @AnimalsAus

Dead koalas were spotted after the logging took place. Picture: Twitter – @AnimalsAusSource:Twitter

The logging took place on a plantation in Victoria, 12-14km west of Portland. Picture: Twitter – @AnimalsAus

The logging took place on a plantation in Victoria, 12-14km west of Portland. Picture: Twitter – @AnimalsAusSource:Twitter

It's unclear how many koalas were killed during the logging. Picture: Friends of the Earth Australia.

It’s unclear how many koalas were killed during the logging. Picture: Friends of the Earth Australia.Source:Twitter

Devastated social media users were quick to share posts, tagging local and national MPs while trying to raise awareness.

“This is murder,” wrote one user on social media, sharing pictures of koalas crushed under the weight of felled trees.

“I thought burned koalas was bad enough,” wrote another.

One user added, “This is too much. Please ensure those responsible are held accountable for this unconscionable act. The cruelty of human beings apparently has no limits.”

“Here’s a thought,” shared Animals Australia. “How about instead of planting plantations then mowing them down, we should be planting blue gum and leaving them for koalas to live in.”

A Facebook post by registered nurse Helen Oakley has already garnered 1100 reactions in the last 24 hours, as she films herself walking through the razed plantation.

“They’ve bulldozed 140 acres down and just killed all of our koalas,” she struggles to say through tears.

“There’s koalas lying there dead. Mothers killed and only little babies … Australia should be ashamed of this.”

Helen Oakley's emotional video has been shared over 4000 times. Picture: Facebook.

Helen Oakley’s emotional video has been shared over 4000 times. Picture: Facebook.Source:Facebook

The gruesome images have ignited calls for change at a national level, with a Change.org petition already up and running.

“This barbaric practice needs to stop across the state and immediately,” the petition – directed to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews – reads.

According to the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) there are less than 100,000 koalas left in the wild and the population could be in fact as low as 43,000.

If Australia’s koala population falls below 50,000 it would be “functionally extinct”, the AKF said.