Animal of the Month: 8 things threatening koalas [slideshow]

Despite being found only on one continent in the world, many of us appreciate everything koalas have to offer. We celebrated this endearing marsupial earlier this month on Wild Koala Day and have continued the revelries by providing interesting facts throughout the month. Highlighting this iconic Australian mammal is of continued importance as the wild population continues to decrease. According to some estimates, the koala population in Queensland between 1996 and 2016 decreased by as much as 80%. Here, we present some of the leading threats Phascolarctos cinereus face in their bid to survive in the modern world.

Chlamydia

A chlamydia epidemic is known to have killed a large number of koalas from 1887 to 1889. This pathogen has threatened the species ever since and has been shown to be the second most common cause for admission to rehabilitation centres.

Image: Mammal by TahliArtPhotography. Public domain via Pixabay.

Bushfires

Bushfires pose a huge threat to koalas, as they regularly destroy the animal’s native habitats, from which koalas are often unable to flee due to their slow movements. Fires have historically caused the human populations of Australia trouble, but with the industrialization that accompanied colonization, more opportunities arose for fires to get out of hand. In the mid-twentieth century technology was developed that has aided in fighting the worst of the fires, meaning that both human settlements as well as natural habitats are more often saved from complete destruction.

Image: Fire by sandid. Public domain via Pixabay.

Drought

Like other small mammals and marsupials, the koala is severely affected by the occurrence of drought. This weather phenomenon causes eucalyptus trees to lose leaves, meaning that there are fewer trees for the animals to feed off, leading to starvation and dehydration. Droughts are becoming more common as a result of climate change, consistently impacting negatively the koala population.

Image: Outback by Barni1. Public domain via