One of Australia’s most popular animals could be extinct within 30 years, according to campaigners from the Australia Koala Foundation.
According to their findings the koala population has more than halved since 2003 and may be entirely wiped out if drastic action is not taken to protect them.
The conservationists, whose research is based on surveys of almost 2,000 forest sites, are currently lobbying for the cuddly creatures to be added to the government’s list of endangered species.
Deborah Tabart, the charity’s chief, warned: “I’ve been doing this job 20 years and in the last 10 years alone, I’ve seen 25,000 koalas die. Our figures show there could be as few as 43,000 koalas left in the wild. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to work out something must be done now to stop the drastic decline.”
Factors blamed for killing the koala include the widespread destruction of the forestland they live in and climate change. Hotter, drier conditions have reduced the nutritional value of the eucalyptus leaves which koalas feed on, resulting in malnutrition and death.
Another main cause has been an epidemic of the sexually transmitted disease, chlamydia. It has already killed off large numbers and the chlamydia organism is estimated to be present in about half of Australian koalas, posing a further risk to their survival.
There are concerns for the impact on the tourism industry as it is estimated that the grumpy marsupials currently generate $1 billion every year.
However, to the dismay of lobbyists, the Australian government has not yet taken any steps to save the koala, saying “it will not be swayed by its status as one of the country’s favourite animals”.
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