Koala cull?

Forest and Bird, Issue 280, 1 May 1996, Page 11

Koala cull?

THE POSSIBLE official shooting of koalas is raising temperatures in South Australia. w

At issue is the koala population of Kangaroo Island, southwest of Adelaide. About 5,000 koalas on the island are currently trying to survive in an area that can support around only half this number and are defoliating and killing their food trees. Most wildlife scientists involved with the issue support a cull by shooting as the most environmentally sensitive option. They argue that a "koala lift" is not viable because the main limiting factor on the mainland is reduced available habitat after two centuries of forest clearance and because there are few areas that could support increased numbers of the marsupial with its particular dietary habits. Koalas eat some five kilograms of leaves a night primarily from a limited number of eucalypt species. Zoologist John Wamsley points out that the koalas on the island are currently under extreme stress. "Koalas hate each other," he said. "They are solitary animals. If a koala can hear another koala nearby then it is unhappy." The South Australian government, embarrassed by the problems posed by the koala surplus, has set up a task force to report back on best options.