September marks Save the Koala Month, the annual awareness and fundraising campaign of the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF). There are no more than 80,000, or more likely close to half that number of koalas, remaining in the wild, according to the organisation. “Only half of these koalas are protected by recent legislation and it’s time to worry because these precious animals will not, as decision makers would like us to believe, always be there,” said AKF chief executive Deborah Tabart OAM. She said the only way to protect the national icon, is to introduce a one-stop piece of legislation - The Koala Protection Bill. The bill states: “You shall not harm them, you shall not harm their joeys and you shall not harm their habitat.” Koalas were listed as an endangered species in NSW, Queensland and the ACT last year. But not in Victoria, where conservationists argue the treatment of koalas is “abonimable”. Last week the Port News reported findings which showed koala populations in the local government area had remained stable since 1949. The report also noted recent local extinctions of koala populations at King Creek, Laurieton and Bago. Supervisor of the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, Cheyne Flanagan, said the region was home to the biggest coastal koala population in the country. Although it was positive to see the local population remain steady, she said there was still a long way to go to ensure the safety of the species. “A loss of habitat really drives the problem,” she said. “But there’s still a disappointing amount of motor vehicle accidents and dogs getting koalas. ”portnews.au/story/1767218/protecting-our-cuddly-koalas/?cs=257
Posted on: Wed, 11 Sep 2013 04:52:11 +0000