Harrowing image of four dead koalas on a trolley highlights the growing threat posed to the native animal in parts of Australia
- In three days 12 koalas have been found dead or dying in New South Wales
- A combination of wild dogs and cars were the cause of the animal deaths
- It has prompted experts to appeal for better protections of the native koala
In the last three days 12 dead koalas have been handed into an animal refuge highlighting the risks one of Australia’s most iconic animals faces every day.
Four dead koalas were laid out on the same vet table and were killed by a combination of illness, cars and wild dogs.
Friend of the Koala is an organisation committed to ‘conserving koalas and preserving and enhancing their habitat’ and recently reported the 12 dead koalas.
The 12 animals which were either sick, dying or dead were brought to the FOK care centre in in East Lismore over the course of just three days.
In the last three days 12 dead koalas have been handed into an animal refuge highlighting the risks one of Australia”s most iconic animals faces every day
One of the koala’s was brought in by Bangalow Koalas’ president Linda Sparrow who was asked to collect the animal from the side of the road in Byron Bay.
‘I have personally rescued three koalas in Byron in last two months alone (Ewingsdale/ Byron/ Myocum), all three had to be euthanised and this is the fourth one this morning,’ she said.
‘The poor boy (very healthy male) clearly had no chance, cars and koalas do not mix.’
Ms Sparrow said it was time the question was asked how important koalas were to Australians and that it should be enough that we provide them with safer passage.
A koala expert said it was time the question was asked how important koalas were to Australians and that it should be enough that we provide them with safer passage
‘I am still waiting for koala signage on Lismore Road opposite Dudgeons Lane where 11 months ago I had to pick up this other healthy dead male 25 metres down from 201 Lismore Road,’ she said.
Of the 12 koala’s some were killed by cars while others were attacked by wild dogs.
According to the Australian Koala Foundation ‘4,000 Koalas are killed each year by dogs and cars alone’.
The foundation also estimates that there are fewer than 43,000 koala’s left in the wild.
The five top risks to koala’s in order of impact are loss of habitat, cars or dogs, bushfires, disease and dieback.
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