Latest news with #koalas
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Koalas could be extinct in south-east Queensland in 'not-too-distant future', RSPCA says
South-east Queensland has fewer than 16,000 koalas left in the wild, and of those experts say 10 per cent will end up in veterinary hospitals each year. Only half who receive hospital care will survive. Australia's iconic marsupial is up against a chlamydia epidemic, vehicle strikes and dog and feral animal attacks. It's also under threat from the creep of urban development into its habitat. RSPCA Queensland wildlife veterinary director Dr Tim Portas said koala numbers continue to decline. "Unless something significant changes and we look at protecting koala habitat and disease control programs for chlamydia, there's a real risk we won't have koalas in south-east Queensland in the not-too-distant future," he said. Koalas Maximus and William faced an uncertain fate when they came to a wildlife hospital, west of Brisbane, at the end of last year. Both were infected with chlamydia, could barely see, and were malnourished and dehydrated. Maximus needed treatment for six months before he could be released back into the Woogaroo Forest, west of Brisbane, while William returned home to the same area after nearly two months in care. Their release is bittersweet for wildlife rescuers who fear it's only a matter of time before they see them again. "We would like to think you treat these koalas and they don't come back but the unfortunate reality is that even with the chlamydia vaccine they can be reinfected … so it's a bit of an uphill battle," Dr Portas said. "There are a couple of vaccines available, but they are not readily available at the moment, so ideally we would vaccinate every koala that goes out, but we are not in a position to do that." Woogaroo Forest, near Ipswich, spans more than 450 hectares, with the majority listed as prime koala habitat by the Queensland Government. It's also home to sugar gliders, platypus, kangaroos, wallabies, and echidnas. But a third of that native bushland has been marked for urban development, including almost two thousand homes, a commercial centre, childcare centre, and sports park. There are fears this could corner koalas in islands of bushland surrounded by development, increase the risk of run-ins with cars and dogs and expose them to added stress and disease. "Once something is listed as endangered, you know that every single one of those animals needs to be protected. "But at the other end of the system you've got big developers making hundreds of millions of dollars and building houses that are spread out, that aren't communities," Rebecca Larkin, from the Ipswich Koala Protection Society, said. While these sites may not pose a major threat on their own, if all are approved, experts say it will dramatically reduce available habitat. "It's death by a thousand cuts … if you look at the broader picture then how can you not determine that these developments in combination will have a significant impact," University of Queensland researcher Dr Sean FitzGibbon said. "But that doesn't seem to be how they are assessed, it's one at a time." In a statement, Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the land was privately owned and "unfortunately" not preserved forest. The site was earmarked for housing development nearly 30 years ago by the state government, she said. It's under the Springfield Structure Plan, which Ms Harding said, "was put in place by the Queensland Government in the 1990s to support significant residential development". Ipswich City Council has already approved the developments but it's the federal government that will do the environmental assessment and ultimately decide whether they go ahead. A spokesperson for the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said each of the four proposals will need to be fully assessed under national environmental law. "The department is yet to receive preliminary documentation responses for any of the referrals which sufficiently address the department's information requirements," they said. Dr Portas said koala habitat like the Woogaroo Forest needs to be "quarantined" from development. "Obviously we have a growing population and there's a need for more houses, but we probably need to look at more comprehensive strategies that don't target prime habitat," he said. Using a handheld receiver with a directional antenna, researchers can track and monitor collared koalas in bushland in Brisbane's south-west. Among them is Matilda — a young, displaced koala who's been used to successfully re-establish a locally extinct population in the Pooh Corner Bushland Reserve at Wacol. The program is being rolled out across the city. "We've been able to re-populate this area with rescued koalas, young animals that needed a new home," Dr FitzGibbon said. The Koala Research Program, a collaboration between Brisbane City Council and research institutes, carefully selects koalas they believe will have the best chance of adapting to a new habitat and starting up a new population. "The thing that strikes me is that koalas are actually very adaptable and quite a tough animal," Dr FitzGibbon said. "They need the right food trees and connectivity, that's crucial." With the 2032 Olympic Games just seven years away, experts say the need to strike the right balance between development and the environment has never been more important. "I don't want to be somebody who stands there with Olympic visitors and says 'Look I could have shown you koalas in the wild, but I'm sorry I can't because they are now extinct'," Ms Larkin said. "People need the forest as much as the animals."
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Outrage over koala 'massacre': Helicopter marksmen sniper hundreds dead after devastating bushfires
Hundreds of endangered koalas are being shot dead by helicopters flying over parts of Australia in what welfare groups have called a 'massacre'. The marsupials are being gunned down as part of a welfare programme but campaigners have hit out at the government and called the actions cruel. Roughly 750 koalas, some of which are protected, have been killed by aerial snipers from Australia's Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) as part of a euthanasia programme after bush fires left many injured and starving in Budj Bim National Park. While the government has claimed it is looking out for the koalas best interests, animal welfare groups have reported joeys (baby koalas) plunging from trees still clinging to their dead mothers according to the Sunday Mirror. Wayne Pacelle, President, Center for a Humane Economy told the paper: 'This isn't mercy. It's a massacre.' The number of koalas in Australia has declined in recent years due to disease, bush fires and drought with the population in New South Wales down 60 per cent since 2001. Koalas are listed as endangered in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory, but they are not in south-west Victoria and South Australia where there are not enough trees to sustain populations. Following the 2019-20 bush fires, scientists warned that koalas were on borrowed time and could even become extinct by 2050 without urgent action. Animal rights groups are now calling on the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese to act to prevent the cruel mistreatment of one of Australia's most famous animals. Some critics have suggested that the cull is to keep away koalas from commercial eucalyptus plants but Mr Pacelle has said that those in Victoria have simply overlooked the value of the animals. In a statement from Koala Alliance, the protection group said it was dangerous for people to accept the killing of koalas as necessary and allowing the Australian government to continue would set a 'dangerous precedent'. Speaking to The Independent, Jess Robertson, president of the Koala Alliance, said that local communities were disgusted with the methods used and added that it wasn't efficient and did not have the welfare of the koalas at heart. She said: 'There is no way they can tell if a koala is in poor condition from a helicopter.' But Victoria State Government said 48 per cent of 2,219 koalas had been suffering from injuries and burns from bush fires in a sample collected in March. Experts have also said that it is important to consider the habitat of koalas and better manage the landscape. Rolf Schlagloth, from CQUniversity Australia, told Vox: 'We can't eliminate bushfires altogether but more continuous, healthy forests can assist in reducing the risk and severity of fires. Koala habitat needs to be extensive and connected and the management of blue gum plantations needs to consider the koala as these trees are very attractive to them.' Euthanasia should be used as a last resort when animals are severely injured, he added. But an aerial cull 'appears to be a very indiscriminate method,' Dr Schlagloth said.
ABC News
11-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Logan council drone survey maps out koala habitat tohelp protect endangered species
A buzzing sound fills the usually calm evening air on the edge of a forest in Logan, south of Brisbane. The sun sinks fast, taking the warmth with it and bringing an autumn chill. Locals begin gathering near a group of people clustered around monitors. They wonder: 'What's going on? What is that noise?'. Then they see it — a drone about the size of a bedside table, hovering in the dark. A powerful spotlight beams from beneath it, scanning the surrounding bushland. Operators are using thermal cameras, mounted to the drone, to detect heat signatures in their search for koalas and other endangered animals that call the area home. It's part of a large count of the marsupials underway to try and better protect their habitat. "What we see from the sensors is like a light bulb inside a tree," operator Jason Young said. "We go and take a closer look, and we have a very, very bright light that we turn on and then a high-definition camera that we can zoom in … while maintaining that distance away from the animal. He's searching for the koalas on behalf of the Logan City Council, who are undertaking a census of their population to better understand the local numbers. Mayor Jon Raven said this $25,000 project was the first time the council had undertaken an extensive, detailed and accurate study of the region's koala population. "So that means it's really important we get out there and find these koalas and understand how they're moving through our city." The data, Mr Raven said, would also be used to help determine future planning needs for the city. "The data that we collect through this will inform our new planning scheme and help us to make sure that the wildlife corridors we already have strategically mapped out across the city are fit for purpose — now and into the future." While new for Logan, it's not the first time drones have been used to count koala populations. Other searches have taken place on the Gold Coast and in across north Queensland. Queensland's Environment Department also has their own similar technology. "It hasn't been around for very long … it's pretty new." But conservationists believe — while studying population numbers is a good start — more needs to be done to protect koala habitat. "It's good that we're looking to see how many koalas they are, because south-east Queensland is critical for koala," Dave Copeman from the Queensland Conservation Council said. "The koala is endangered, and we are seeing numbers dropping. "We don't have a current census, and so this counting is really important, because we need to know if the precipitous decline in koala numbers has stabilised or not." An update to the Queensland government's koala conservation strategy is expected this year, as are several other counts of populations around the state. But Mr Copeman said he was concerned by large Priority Development Areas (PDAs) earmarked across south-east Queensland — including large housing developments in Logan, Ipswich and Moreton — that were planned for land on, or near, koala habitat. "If you're putting roads through koala habitat, you see more car strikes. If you're building houses in there, you get more dog attacks, and ultimately also the more koalas are compressed, you see higher stress in the population, and that results in less resilience and greater disease," he said. "So, the most important thing councils can do is protect the habitat that's there and be involved in restoring areas. "The science is clear. We need to [be building] up, not out." He suggested this could involve more "gentle density" in areas that already had stronger population bases. "If we keep doing these giant new PDA developments in the last vestiges of remnant forest in south-east Queensland, we are signing a death warrant for the koala," he said. It would also benefit the community and economy, according to Mr Copeman. "It means that you're not sprawling out and then requiring more expensive developments of schools and services," he said. "That's the best result for south-east Queensland nature.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Photo reveals sad truth behind koala that was rescued from Aussie national park
Preparations are underway to reopen an Australian national park where a staggering number of koalas were 'euthanised' after a bushfire swept through in early March, causing injuries and food shortages. On Wednesday, Victoria's department of environment DEECA confirmed with Yahoo News that only one animal was rescued and taken into care, while 1,061 were euthanised. 'Since early March, 2,219 koalas have been assessed by both ground and aerial teams, with 48 per cent identified as suffering severe injuries and burns from the bushfire and required humane euthanasia to relieve unnecessary suffering,' it said in a statement. After Yahoo News revealed on April 25 that koalas were being shot from helicopters in World Heritage-listed Budj Bim national park, the story was reported around the world, including the US, UK, India, Japan, South Korea and across Europe. But local animal advocates have now revealed populations of these iconic marsupials living across the surrounding region face an even bigger problem than fire. Koala Alliance president Jessica Robertson visited Victoria's southwest on the weekend, surveying the perimeter of the national park where the 'cull' occurred. Her most immediate concern is that private blue gum plantations continue to be harvested in the surrounding area, further impacting food availability. 'If DEECA is worried about koala welfare, they would stop the harvesting until a better solution can be found," she said. "We can't go on with business as usual, because it's creating endless suffering.' Over 40,000 koalas are estimated to live in blue gum plantations around Victoria, and these feed trees cover over 100,000 hectares in the southwest. Photos taken by Robertson highlight how the marsupials are regularly left homeless after the trees they live in are felled. They're then forced to relocate to protected areas like Budj Bim where they are already overpopulated. Related: Fear for joeys as Australia guns down koalas Robertson's grassroots advocacy group, along with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Humane World for Animals, the Greens and the Animal Justice Party, are calling for an independent investigation into long-running concerns about koala management across the southwest. "The sad truth behind these shocking headlines... is the ongoing chronic animal welfare crisis facing koalas in southwest Victoria that has been unfolding for decades. The root cause being rampant habitat loss and the relentless expansion of the blue gum plantation industry. With their natural habitat diminished, koalas are left with nowhere safe to go," IFAW said last week, before launching a petition for an inquiry to address "Victoria's shameful secret". "We are strongly supportive of calls for an independent review of management plans designed to protect koalas in private timber plantations," HWFA added. Koalas have regularly become overabundant in Budj Bim, resulting in the need for regular health assessments and euthanasia. In 2022, a DEECA-led team performed two medical assessment operations inside the park. During the first, 93 were examined, 28 euthanised, and 53 were given fertility control. The second resulted in 30 of 135 being declared unviable due to welfare concerns. A participant in the health-check program, who spoke to Yahoo on the condition of anonymity, said koala populations regularly boom inside the park after trees across surrounding plantations are cleared. Only small clusters of trees are left for the koalas, forcing them to flee once the leaves run out. DEECA has conceded that "overpopulation in Budj Bim is an ongoing management issue", and there were between 1 and 1.5 koalas per hectare in the fire zone. Environment minister Steve Dimopoulos is yet to directly address Yahoo's questions about the welfare of koalas in the southwest, or the euthanasia program at Budj Bim. The only planned response Yahoo is aware of is a standard post-incident review by DEECA that will assess the successes and failings of the euthanasia program. But for many animal lovers, this internal review is simply not enough. Over 1,600 people are calling for an independent inquiry, and more than 21,000 people have signed a petition. 'Without warning, and without public consultation [DEECA] has authorised the aerial and ground-based shooting of koalas, claiming the animals were suffering due to lack of food after recent bushfires. Yet this brutal decision was made behind closed doors — and we, the public, were never supposed to find out,' the latter petition states. This week, the Liberal Party renewed calls for the government to publicly release all documents that led to its aerial shooting response. DEECA's chief biodiversity officer James Todd described the response to the Budj Bim fire as long, emotional and difficult'. He said the decision to proceed with euthanasia wasn't taken lightly, and only went ahead after approval from wildlife experts and vets. 'It was clear from early on that most fire-impacted koalas were in areas simply unsafe and virtually impossible for ground crews to access in a timely manner, which is why we took the decision to conduct aerial assessments and shooting where deemed necessary to remove koala pain and suffering,' he said. DEECA has since reassessed the health of koalas at Budj Bim, and found the 'overall state' of populations in the fire-impacted area had 'significantly improved'. To help support the remaining koalas, the agency is undertaking a program of invasive predator control. And the state government confirmed with Yahoo it will provide $1 million through its BushBank program to revegetate areas of private land adjacent to Budj Bim to provide koalas with additional habitat. But despite these programs and the massive loss of koala life, DEECA appears to expect ongoing health issues will continue at Budj Bim into the future. 'Ground crews will continue to do monitoring for some time, and longer-term, land managers will continue to do important health checks to support a sustainable population in the park,' Todd said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Koalas face death, attacks and starvation as blue gums chopped down in Victoria
Thousands of koalas are being displaced each year as blue gum plantations are cut down in Victoria, worsening overcrowding in nearby forests and exacerbating the risk of injury and death during bushfires. An estimated 42,500 koalas live in blue gum plantations in south-west Victoria, data shows. Between 8,000 and 10,000 hectares of plantation are harvested each year, making thousands of koalas homeless. Scientists said the displaced animals crossed roads used by logging trucks. They moved into trees along road reserves, on neighbouring properties and nearby forests, which they soon strip bare. Some migrated into adjacent plantations, only to be evicted again the following year. 'It's a pretty stressful situation for koalas,' said Deakin University ecologist Dr Desley Whisson, who specialises in koala management. 'The blue gum plantations get cut down, and those koalas have to find somewhere to go.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Each year thousands of koalas were likely displaced by plantation harvests, she said, based on their density in plantations and the scale of the logging. Koalas are listed as endangered in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory, but in south-west Victoria and South Australia there are not enough trees to sustain the koala populations. The CSIRO estimates the national koala population is between 224,000 and 524,000. Whisson said koalas displaced from blue gum plantations were adding to already high densities in nearby trees and forests and contributing to the decline of nearby native vegetation, like manna gum. Overabundance, particularly combined with drought or fire, could ultimately lead to welfare issues – mass starvation and death – with land managers and wildlife carers left to deal with the consequences. One licensed koala shelter operator in the south-west, who asked not be named, said she helped up to 450 sick or injured animals a year. She said displaced animals were sometimes still up in trees that were felled and ended up with broken bones, or were orphaned babies left behind. Others were attacked by cows or dogs. She said some koalas froze in the lights of logging trucks while crossing roads. 'The amount of road kill is just horrendous,' the carer said. 'They've been in a huge, big forest all their life. And then all of a sudden it's ripped down around them.' A 2023 study of reported wild koala deaths in south-east Queensland found vehicles were responsible for about half (1,431) of all fatalities. The Victorian government released its koala strategy in May 2023. It detailed koala welfare problems associated with plantations but did not focus on long-term solutions. 'There are currently no cost-effective management techniques available that would be acceptable to the community, or clear objectives for the management of koalas in blue gum plantations,' the strategy said. Victoria's environment department said it was working with animal welfare groups and experts to ensure the sustainability of koala populations and had invested $3.3m in koala management and research. 'Victoria is fortunate to have a large koala population, but it does face threats such as disease, climate change and poor genetic diversity in some of the populations,' a spokesperson told Guardian Australia. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Dr Kita Ashman, an ecologist for WWF Australia, said the plantations had changed the landscape profoundly since being established in the 1990s and 2000s. She said the blue gum leaves provided a nutritious source of food that enabled the animals to reach much higher numbers than normal, but no one had properly dealt with the ramifications. The plantation industry was required to obtain a permit before it disturbed koalas, to engage koala spotters and to retain a minimum of nine trees around any animal observed during harvesting, but there was little onus on it to consider the fate of displaced animals, she said. 'We're basically planting up this smorgasbord of plantations that koalas then move into, feed on, breed in,' she said. But Ashman said the answer should not be to get rid of plantations, as they were an important alternative to the native forest logging industry. Whisson said it was a 'wicked problem' that was likely to get worse. But she said there were solutions at the landscape scale that could improve the situation. They included the blue gum industry leaving a portion of each plantation for koalas to stay in or contributing to restoring permanent habitat. They could also provide support for wildlife carers and animal hospitals dealing with the fallout. She said that in the longer term the industry could consider growing an alternative tree species that was less palatable to koalas than blue gum. Koala ecologist Dr Rolf Schlagloth, from Central Queensland University, said providing somewhere for the koalas to go was a 'solvable problem'. 'The real issue is the lack of connectivity [of nature] and failing to properly manage koala habitat,' he said. Schlagloth said all stakeholders needed to be involved in finding solutions and that state and federal governments needed to acknowledge mistakes – and it would take significant effort, and funding, to fix them. 'We need open, honest discussion,' he said, 'to make sure that our koalas – which are a flagship species – are saved.'
