Koala endangered as disease, lost habitat take toll

Koalas were officially declared endangered in eastern Australia on Friday, as they continue to fall prey to disease, lost habitat and other threats. Earlier they had been listed as a vulnerable species.

Koala populations in New South Wales have fallen by 33-61% since 2001. In 2020, a parliamentary inquiry warned the species might become extinct before 2050 without urgent intervention.

Sussan Ley, Australian Environment Minister said "Well, this listing adds priority to when it comes to conservation of the koalas. As you said, coming out of the Black Summer fires, we were concerned, I was concerned and every Australian who cares so much about this iconic marsupial was asking the question about the koalas populations and reassuring those for the future."

The number of koalas in Queensland has also fallen by half since 2001 due to drought, fires and deforestation. Summer brushfires in 2019-20 killed at least 6,400 koalas, as rescuers worked desperately to save them and treat their injuries.

Sussan Ley, Australian Environment Minister said "Up to 50% of the population, in some locations even more, is affected by chlamydia. So there's a real push with work that we're doing to attack the sources and get the best research to treat koala populations for chlamydia. This builds on 74 million dollars of funding under this government since the fires."

The Australian Koala Foundation estimates that there are less than 100,000 Koalas left in the wild, possibly as few as 43,000.