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July 15, 2005

Hard Decisions: Koala Killing - A Kindness?

Australians are struggling with the delicate problem of how do deal with the uncontrollable overpopulation of some island koalas. The cuddly-looking marsupials have few natural predators (dingos, dogs and mostly humans), and their numbers have grown such that they are destroying their habitat and decimating their food sources. Efforts to curb reproduction using sterilization have been expensive and not successful enough. Now even conservationalists are lobbying the Australian government to cull the population in order to avoid the mass starvation facing this marsupial. This has, of course, stirred up a lot of debate.

BRISBANE, Australia -- July is "Save the Koala Month" in Australia. So it may come as a surprise that conservation groups in the state of South Australia want some koalas shot.

The groups, led by the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia, are lobbying the state government to cull the teddy bearlike marsupials overpopulating an island south of Adelaide. They want the government to stand up to international pressure and abandon a new $3 million sterilization and relocation program.

"No one wants to see animals being shot, but we need to be thinking more about sustainable ecosystem management rather than appeasing international tourists," said Matthew Turner, a scientific officer with the Nature Conservation Society.

More at: Chicago Tribune: So many koalas, so few palatable ideas for curbing them

Once hunted for their soft fur, over a five year period (1919-1924) approximately 8,000,000 koalas were killed for their coats. Today, the koala is considered at low risk of extinction with estimated populations around 100,000. Conservationalists still keep a close eye on the numbers, since one major concern is habitat destruction: little of the eucalyptus forests are left and those that are tend to be private land, and not protected. Zoos have begun breeding programs to ensure that the species survives.

Now the island in question is called Kangaroo Island, one of Australia's most popular wilderness holiday destinations. Koalas are not indigenous to the island, however, the species has been crowded out of its territories on the mainland. Aggressive koala management programs have tried sterilization and planting more trees, but the population is eating and reproducing so fast, that any steps taken have not been given enough time to be successful. Culling (the killing of a percentage of the population to promote the survival of the rest) is only one option on the table - but the price tag is right. Relocation of some animals has happened, but there are so few habitats left that can support the koala that few other choices seem to exist.

Some are threatening to boycott Kangaroo Island as a tourist location if a cull happens, but no one has been able to come up with any other workable solutions. One can only hope that someone will come up with some more pleasant alternative before culling becomes the only option in order to ensure the longetivity of the Kangaroo Island habitat.

One wonders if introducing them into places like South Africa or California, which have been overrun with the water-hogging eucalyptus, would work. Sadly, of the 600 kinds of eucalyptus trees growing in Australia, koalas will only eat from a handful of species.

Posted by sorsha at July 15, 2005 3:39 PM