Koalas are facing extinction in some parts of Australia by 2050, a new report warns.
The cute animals, which are iconic to Australia, are under threat from extinction.
Earlier this year, Koalas were particularly badly hit with the Australian bushfires. It was estimated that 1 billion animals in total were killed by this year's Australian bushfires.
During this year's fires, thousands of Koalas were sadly killed in them. In New South Wales in December of last year, it was reported that 30% of Koalas were killed in the state.
Now, several months later, it has been reported that it is places like New South Wales which faces seeing its Koalas becoming extinct by 2050. In other words, it is thought that Koalas will become extinct in places like NSW within the next thirty years.
Why Are These Animals At Risk Of Extinction?
These animals are at risk of extinction now because of their habitat being destroyed. The recent Australian fires have sped up the impending extinction of Koalas.
Before the fires, Koalas were already listed as vulnerable to extinction.
It's thought that about 5,000 Koalas were killed in the recent fires. Their population today is thought to be between 100,000 and 500,000 animals. However, it was also reported a few months ago that Koalas lost 80% of their habitat in the recent fires, with such a reduction in their habitat, it will mean that these cute animals will reduce in population due to their home being destroyed.
Koalas also face other majors threats, such as disease.
There's now a call to ensure that Koala populations don't continue to decline.
Why We Should Act Now To Save The Koala
We should act now to save the Koala as when a species is vulnerable to extinction their numbers can fall very dramatically. Therefore, they can end up on the edge of extinction in no time.
Take the Scottish Wildcat, for example. In the late 1990s, the population of the Scottish Wildcat was estimated to be over 3,000 and they were an endangered species. Today, the Scottish Wildcat is a critically endangered species and there are now only 30 individual Scottish Wildcats left in the wild of Scotland today. Therefore, in just two decades, the Scottish Wildcats numbers have declined dramatically in Scotland due to habitat destruction.
If we don't want Koalas to go the same way, then we should learn from what has happened to Scottish Wildcats over the last two deacdes and act now to save Koalas.
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