An animal campaign group has warned that koala numbers have fallen so low that the animal is “functionally extinct.”
According to the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF), there are just 80,000 koalas left in the wild in Australia. Of the 128 regions where koalas are known to have been present, 41 of those no longer have any population of the marsupial.
The term functionally extinct refers to a reduced population which may no longer be viable. The AKF said it has previously warned the current prime minister and opposition leaders of the fate of the koala but “received no response”.
The remaining population is equivalent to the 1% of the 8 million koalas that were shot for fur and sent to London between 1890 and 1927, the group says.
AKF chairman Deborah Tabart said: “I am calling on the new prime minister after the May election to enact the Koala Protection Act (KPA) which has been written and ready to go since 2016. The plight of the koala now falls on his shoulders.”
Studies have found that heatwaves and deforestation are among the biggest threats to koalas, with Tabart urging the government to ramp up efforts to protect its environment.
Koalas live in eucalyptus trees in forests and woodlands, where they are ordinarily found perched on branches and sleeping for up to 20 hours a day.