Iconic koala's odds of survival from threats exposed
Researchers have uncovered worrying results after they examined how many rescued koalas were released back into the wild.
If you were betting on the recovery of a sick or injured koala you’d sadly be given very short odds. Shockingly analysis of records taken from hospitals treating an endangered Queensland population reveal the most likely outcome is euthanasia.
University of Queensland researchers studied 50,000 koala sightings and hospital admissions between 1997 and 2019 from the southeast of the state and found only a quarter were released back into the wild. “Many of the animals died before arriving at a vet hospital and those that did make it were often euthanised on the grounds of welfare, despite vets and carers doing their best to save them,” lead researcher and PhD candidate Renae Charalambous said.
It’s a grim statistic for Queensland’s koalas which are being routinely displaced for new conveniences to serve the state’s growing population. Around the Gold Coast town of Coomera alone, habitat has been cleared to make way for a Westfield shopping centre and a Toyota dealership, while new outlets for US fast-food chains KFC, McDonald’s, Taco Bell have been opened on a former koala range. And the state government is getting in on the act too, with plans to bulldoze more trees to build a new hospital.
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What's harming endangered koalas?
The researchers discovered the spread of infectious chlamydia is responsible for around 30 per cent of hospital admissions, and motor vehicle strikes 20 per cent. And habitat loss and dog attacks were also major contributors.
"Those that made it to an animal hospital after [a] car strike were almost three times more likely to be euthanised than released. Seven percent of the koalas admitted to hospital had been attacked by dogs but were twice as likely to be found dead, and if they were taken into care alive, they were twice as likely to be euthanised than released,” Charalambous said.
“These are pretty grim statistics so the future for koalas looks bleak.”
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Second state facing collapse of koala population
While the results may be depressing, Charalambous argues they provide an opportunity to minimise the threats the species faces.
It’s not just Queensland where koalas are in serious trouble. All wild NSW populations are expected to be wiped out by 2050.
Its last healthy chlamydia-free population, which is in southwest of Sydney, has been under pressure after successive state and federal governments approved new housing projects where it lives. Vehicle strikes have increased in the surrounding roads, resulting in declines. And habitat has become fragmented as forest is bulldozed to make way for new houses, driveways and swimming pools.
The University of Queensland study has been published in the journal Brill.
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