'Koala emergency' as report shows at least 5,000 died in Australia bushfires

Cleland Wildlife Park Rescues Koalas Who Lost Their Homes In Australian Bushfires
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Ellena Cruse4 March 2020

Experts have warned that Australia faces a “koala emergency” after thousands perished in recent bushfires.

At least 5,000 of the marsupials are said to have died after blazing wildfires tore though New South Wales at the end of 2019, a new report shows.

Conservationists estimate around 12 percent of the state’s population perished between October to January – with a warning the real figure is likely to be higher.

International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) also said that two-thirds of the koala population has been lost in the past three generations due to drought, bushfires and human activity.

Wildlife campaigners described the situation as a “koala emergency” and have called for urgent protection measures for the species, which is considered to be “vulnerable” to extinction.

They want New South Wales koalas to be given an emergency “endangered” listing to increase their protection.

IFAW wildlife campaigner Josey Sharrad said: “Koalas were already living on the brink before these fires, with populations declining in many areas due to excessive land clearing, disease and roadkill and local extinctions already known to have occurred.

“This disaster and the ongoing nature of the threats could push koalas over the edge.This is a koala emergency.”

The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park has treated more than 600 animals since the fires
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Climate change and the resulting wildfires pose an immediate, ongoing and significant threat of extinction to the koala population in the state, the report argues.

It comes after 5.1 million hectares (12.6 million acres) of land burned in New South Wales as bushfires ravaged swathes of Australia.

Ms Sharrad added: “Koalas must be immediately uplisted to endangered on an emergency basis and a moratorium on all harmful activities impacting koalas enforced to allow surviving populations some breathing space while their capacity to recover is further assessed.”

Australia fires - In pictures

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The analysis covered 15 weeks from October 1, 2019, to January 10, 2020, and is described as a “conservative” estimate.

The conservationists also warned that further assessment to cover the month to February 10 means final figures are expected to be even worse.

The hundreds of thousands of hectares of habitat that is not burnt but had been rendered unsuitable for koalas as a result of dry conditions had not been taken into account.

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