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Joel Sartore/National Geographic
Savaged by a dog, Bruzer, a young male, recuperates from surgery at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, where hundreds of koalas are treated every year for injuries inflicted by dogs or automobiles. With his facial bones crushed, Bruzer succumbed to infection and complications after veterinarians tried to repair his sinuses.
Troubled koalas find themselves inside the pages of the May edition of National Geographic magazine. Photographs by Joel Sartore.
The koala, cuddly symbol of a nation and one of the most beloved animals on the planet, is in crisis. Before Europeans settled Australia more than two centuries ago, about ten million koalas lived in a 1,500-mile-long swath of the east coast eucalyptus forests. Hunted for their luxurious fur, koalas were brought to the edge of extinction in the southern half of their range. In the northern half, Queensland, a million were killed in 1919 alone. After the last open season in Queensland was held in 1927, only tens of thousands remained.
Joel Sartore/National Geographic
Up a tree in Petrie, a town north of Brisbane, a female koala watches photo assistant Jess Hooper approach with a basket to drop on her if she comes down before rescuers arrive. Koalas often return to trees they consider their territory, says rescuer Megan Aitken, "even if those trees are now in somebody's front yard."
Joel Sartore/National Geographic
Wielding a blanket, Megan Aitken of the Moreton Bay Koala Rescue team bundles a young male that was hit by a car. Development in prime koala habitat makes such scenes inevitable, she says, while the government ignores the warnings: "If koalas aren't protected, we're looking at local extinction within five years."
Through the next half century their numbers slowly rebounded, in part due to efforts to relocate and recolonize them. Then urbanization began to take its toll. Habitat was lost, and diseases spread. With urbanization came the threat of dogs and highways. Since 1990, when about 430,000 koalas inhabited Australia, their numbers have dropped sharply. Because surveys are difficult, current population estimates vary widely—from a low of 44,000 by advocacy groups to a high of 300,000 by government agencies. More than a decade ago a survey of the Koala Coast, a 93,000-acre region in southeastern Queensland, estimated a koala population of 6,200; today there are believed to be around 2,000.
Joel Sartore/National Geographic
With no place to hide, koalas are being squeezed out of Queensland communities like North Lakes that 20 years ago were farmland and wildlife habitat. Hunted ruthlessly in the early 20th century, koalas were later protected and made a modest recovery. Today their numbers are again in steep decline.
“Koalas are getting caught in fences and dying, being killed by dogs, struck by vehicles, even dying simply because a homeowner cut down several eucalyptus trees in his backyard,” says Deidré de Villiers, one of the chief koala researchers at the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management. For 15 years de Villiers, 38, has been tracking koalas, monitoring populations, studying the reasons for their decline, and creating guidelines to make development more koala-friendly.
Joel Sartore/National Geographic
Killed in a single week by cars or dogs, these koalas were mourned at the vet clinic that tried to save them. During "trauma season," from July to December, when the animals descend to the ground in search of mates and new food trees, a dozen or so injured koalas a week are brought to the clinic. (To protect the identity of confidential sources, the yellow label at left has been blurred.)
National Geographic
May 2012 cover of National Geographic
De Villiers insists that koalas and humans can coexist in urban environments “if developers get on board with koala-sensitive designs,” such as lower speed limits for streets, green corridors for koala movement, and, most especially, preserving every precious eucalyptus tree.
Full story and more photos on nationalgeographic.com and in the May edition available on newsstands and on the iPad.
Leave a Comment:
Tough story, people need to get off their cellphones and slow down
As someone whose family hails from Melbourne, I find this news distressing but not entirely unexpected given the tiny and somewhat unique biological niche the koalas inhabit, though. They are slow-moving, defenseless and entirely dependant upon the one species of tree for their food supply. Unless Australia sets up wildlife preserves of sufficient scope and size to enable the native animal and plant life to flourish, development and deforestation will make the extintion of this animal inevitable I fear.
Given the ever-increasing numbers of animals facing extinction due to development, it seems inevitable humanity will one day look around to discover an ecosystem no longer capable of sustaining the huge human population - and no doubt wonder how it got itself into such a dire predicament. Childish, shortsighted and sad. Well capitalism is fine for many things, but it doesn't foster the self-preservation instincts within humanity in any way, shape or form. Until we realize as a species that the single-minded accumulation of personal wealth is not the most important thing on the planet, we are doomed to follow the path we are on. My two cents.
Nightbreeze
I wish more people realized what you just said. Its a topic Ive brought up with friends before. People as a whole don't change until its almost too late to do so, and the ever growing population is going to one day lead us to a point of no return.
Well - we are nothing more than animals ourselves - heeding genetic mandates. We are breeding to the limits that our environment(s) and adapatations allow us to. In our case, it is our big brains, giving us abstract thought, and the ability to manipulate the environment to better support us. As a population, we are truly incapable to change this behavior, even though there are many well meaning attempts to do so. We will continue on just as we have been. perhaps we will slow the devastation a bit, from time to time, but we are essentially like the herd of deer that has had the predator removed. Nothing keeps our numbers in check, our fitness declines, we overbrowse our environment, causing it to be unable to support our burgeoning numbers, and then the population crashes from disease and starvation. This happens in nature all the time - and it IS happening with us. Its a real problem that not only are we prolific breeders, but we are also an exceptionally aggressive species, towards each other, and a vicious predator towards many other species. In fact, nature has a way of sooner or later doing something about a species like us.
just seems sad...
If humans become extinct someday it can only do the planet some good and maybe the Earth can recover from all the destruction that humans have done.
Jeff M-1694213 #2.2,
We not only see this with what we do with many of our wildlife populations, but also with the human population.
We "humans" don't seem to see what advances in technology do to our societies. Technology has allowed us to produce more with fewer workers, yet population figures keep growing by leaps and bounds. There are fewer people required to produce goods & services, so why are we surprised that there are fewer jobs available for growing numbers of our population.
The system is broken !
When are people going to come to the realization that there is only so much space on this planet and humans are taking up too much of it? It isn't just other species that we are breeding into extinction, it is humans also. Where are we going to grow the food to feed the masses that we are turning in to? We aren't making any more earth or water and we are going to run out. The planet could do with a lot fewer humans to make room for the other species that we are systematically erasing. Shame on us.
My poor little Kola's I hope they can do something to perserve them. They are so cute. Why do people have to kill them for the fur, just like the great whales they are being killed for no reason, When will these people wake up.
How close are we to "Soylent Green" and/or "Logan's Run"scenarios?
Gordon90N, Doesn't seem as far-fetched as it did when the movies were made, does it? Hopefully we come to our senses before that happens but I'm not holding my breath, not as long as programs like the Today Show glorify people like the Duggars and Ocotomom.
The Anglo-Germanic derived peoples have loved the Malthusian philosophy for a long time. However, history shows us that when we create a problem, we soon develop a solution to that problem...necessity is the mother of invention. I envision us using all of this excess population to colonize new worlds simultaneously someday. Another thing....the world is much much bigger than most readers of these articles realize. Humans over exaggerate their current impact on the Earth...there is empty land as far as the eye can see in the US and in several places around the world it is the same. Humans have a natural capacity to over react....we love a crisis and a fight.
People need to be responsible pet owners and leash their damn dogs. Dogs running loose without collars and tags should be shot on sight. Dogs running loose with tags should be shot if they threaten a person or koala; and result in stiff fines for the idiot owner.
Kathryn-939625.....
The dogs do not need to be shot on site. It is the irresponsible pet owners (sounds like you may be one of those) that need to be shot on site when they allow thier dog to attack! Get a life
All living things are tied to one another in one way, shape or form for their existence. Humans need these creatures no matter how insignificant they believe they are to survive. I am afraid it is a lesson we will never learn until it is too late. One day humans will turn on humans as they have turned on and tortured the species they perceive as lower than themselves (look at what we do to our own children). It is inevitable and we shall know the fear and sorrow these poor creatures feel at this moment in time, but the difference is we shall deserve it! I pray to God everyday for humans to turn it around and put love and compassion back in their hearts and lives! but I believe we have distanced ourselves so far from him that he can no longer reach us and it all seems so hopeless now.
Oh Mighty God have mercy on us your most greivous sinners.
ok, you first.
This is a sad story.
I will bet that those that are complaining about human population growth are the same ones that say that countries like China are wrong for getting control of their population BY ANY MEANS POSSIBLE. Though not a great supporter of Totalitarian China, I do have to respect their vision. As far as the Western World goes, I think we got the message about zero population growth. The ones that don't have an idea are from the Middle East, Africa and the Nations south of the US.
That is racist of me to say, but at the rate we are going, the educated peoples and Koalas are doomed for extinction.
Justin Cornell banned for comment spamming and derailing.
Not a great start.
This is such BS. The only reason anyone cares about Koalas is because they're 'cute'. They're as plentiful as squirrels, raccoons or pigeons are in the US, and are in no danger of going extinct. Are there MSNBC cover stories when a squirrel or raccoon gets hit by a car? No, of course not.
If there are fewer Koalas in urban/suburban environments, then so what? There are PLENTY of them. The notion that developers and government should go out of their way to make life easier for these animals (at great expense) simply because they're aesthetically pleasing is ridiculous.
TJP
Apparently you do live or have recently to know of the Kola's history. Even if they are plentiful they are another animal that people can love, and want saved.
Patrick say's the right thing, "slow down"
TJP77,
Did you actually read the article? There used to be MILLIONS and that number is now down to Thousands. I would say that is pretty traumatic to the species. Obviously they are not as prolific as squirrels, since squirrels can breed several times a year and have multiple kits, and Koalas can't and have single pups (usually). We, as a species, have given no thought to our responsibility to this planet, and your comment is proof of it. As the most intelligent species on the planet, you would think we would be smart enough to see that we have to share this planet with the other species, not conquer and overwhelm. Every animal on the planet fills a nitch, and when you destroy that species, you create a void, which means we have to figure out how to fill that artificially. Who knows what the consequences are for removing Koala's from the world, but do we really want to find out? It sounds like you do.
TJP77, you are just plain mean-spirited and nasty to boot. My God. Are you sitting at your computer mad at the world and wanting to take it all out on some animal? Get a life, go have a beer, and chill out!
If we measured a single living beings worth by your numbers, we'd have to conclude that because there are plenty of human beings around (over 300 billion) we shouldn't give a @!$%# about any one human being.
Why don't you go out today and do something useful with your life instead of spouting off about koala bears?
If you think human beings are so superior to everything around us -- racoons and squirrels and koalas and whatever -- why not take the responsibility that comes with that instead of relegating the categories of life that iar not "me me me" to the category of "trash?"
P.S. Do the people who love you, and hope you life a good life, only love you and hope you live a good life because you are "cute?" What a jerk you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TJP77 - Nice attitude. May an army of raccoons take up housekeeping in your kitchen.
Now, Now people. In the new ecology, if it isn't raised to be sold as food for a good profit, or somehow parasitic on humans that we CAN'Tget rid of, (like rats, fleas, lice and mosquitoes) it has the right to die out as natural evolution decrees it should.
This comment written as heavy sarcasm. But doesn't it seem to be the direction we're going in?
.
You sound like some angry european....
They are certainly not as plentiful as squirrels. I lived for over a year in a small town in Northern Victoria, and I only saw three of them. Kangaroos, cockatoos, and magpies are plenty, but the koala is not.
BTW, they appear cuddly and cute, but their claws are deadly, and when cornered they let out very bad smelling, concentrated urine. Still, they should be protected. I'm not sure whether humans are the worse enemy, or the non-native animals and plants that were introduced to Australia are. I mean, I know that the non-natives wouldn't be there if it weren't for humans, but I mean direct impact. I'm not an Aussie, but having lived over there, it seems to me that most of the trouble comes from alien plants taking over or reducing Eucalypt habitat, alien animals destroying koala habitat, and alien animals acting as direct predators.
Human intrusion on habitat certainly doesn't help, but there's a lot more space over there than in the US, and we have roughly the same land mass as Australia. Granted, they have more square miles of "less inhabitable" land than we do, but they also have a much smaller population than the US. Wikipedia states that they have 7.3 people per square mile, whereas the US has 87.4 people per square mile. There are only 5 areas in the world with a population density less than Australia, including Western Sahara, Greenland, and Mongolia.
There's plenty of places in Australia where you can drive for an hour and not see a single other person/car/town. That has me wondering why "urbanization" is stressed in the article as reasoning for declining numbers. I'm sure it has impact, but the article makes it sound like the East Coast of Australia is as densely populated and urbanized as the East Coast of the US. Although there are pockets of cities, there's still a fair amount of bush in between.
TJP77 - Who was there first Koalas or humans? What is going to happen when their get instinct and the so called national symbol is gone? Where is the balance between progress and ecosystems?
Piry,
Who was in Europe first, Neanderthals or Cro-Magnons? Both are interesting questions, but have no relationship to "right to inhabit." Like it or not, the Koalas have exactly as much right to inhabit Queensland as the dominant species on the planet chooses to give them.
Who was in Australia first, it was the aboriginie, so maybe the rest of you should leave then. Just like here in America. The indians were here first. The men hunted to provide for the tribe and the woman did most of the work, no taxes, no polution. White people thought they could inprove on that. Every country they occupy is full of corruption and slavery. And yes I'm white.
Worn out,
"...Every country they occupy is full of corruption and slavery..."
This may come as news to you, but the Americas were full of war, slavery, torture, starvation, disease, corruption, and all other evils BEFORE the Europeans arrived. It is called mankind. The Americas were not the Garden of Eden. The idyllic and peaceful existence of the Indians is a fabrication.
Also, the Indians walked across a land bridge, the Europeans came by sea. Both immigrants.
Spike: If you're trying to justify what greed and selfishness have done to native peoples and wildlife, you're wasting your time. It's that kind of mentality that has caused so much destruction. Just because it happened before, is irrelevant. What is relevant is the fact that due to technology, it's happening on a horrific scale and we will ultimately pay a severe price, all of us. We know better now, but still it goes on. For the record, the scale of destruction by European settlers was also on a much larger scale than what happened previously on the North American and Australian continents. Millions died. Hundreds of developed and distinct cultures were wiped out in only a few hundred years.
You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem. Making excuses puts you in the former category.
progress is methaphifc lie, inth ename of progress we destroy, kill, the ecosistem and another humans, our modern culture is motivade only for MONEY, like the tale of King Midas we give value to something cold not alive, gold and money paper, we destroy our future (and from the others) for this mental deseace, we are out of balance and I see NO CURE for the vast mayority predators "humans"...
Koalas are a flagship species. Not only valued for their 'cuteness' but also their representation as a relatively peaceful, natural creature. They are also an indicator species of sorts, as their health and vitality directly reflects the health and vitality of the regions they inhabit.
They very fact that humans run them down while driving or let our domesticated pets kill them is also a strong indicator that we are going in the wrong direction. Even if there are hundreds of thousands of them left, we should not ignore what their plight is showing us about the environment and about ourselves. TJP77 may be just fine with running them down and chewing them up - but, that doesn't mean the rest of us have to be.
Show some support for these creatures as well as those that might be at risk in your own hometowns, cities, states & nations. Learn and make sure our children are learning what all this means. Once these creatures are gone, there is little liklihood that they, or their habitats will ever return. 77 might not mind living in a glass & chrome world with concrete blocks and wire statues representing the forests and fields that once were - but I do.
And, for those of you that think it will never happen, there so much nature out there ... Remember, we are chewing through thousands of acres of land every day to suppport our 7-billion human population. And, believe it or not, there's only so much left - and once it's gone ... it's gone.
I agree 100%. I wish everyone could see this.
Well said. We need to take reasonable measures to protect the things that make our planet so special. The media rarely does much good in the world, but bringing things like this to peoples attention is one example of a good use of media.
TJP - you have absolutely no heart. In South Australia Koalas are on the brink of extinction and although they exist in other small parts of Australia, the long-term prognosis is very bleak. Definitely nothing comparable to squirrels or raccoons.
Humans will destroy anything and everything chasing the money. I can't believe that Australian government is so inept at inacting some regulations.
Those nails look like they could do serious harm to the dogs.
They r soooo cute!
Another example of man's outrageous behavior under the guise ''that he/she are the only ones who have the right to occupy the earth.'' And this redevelopement phrase that saturates everyone's minds, gives the illusion that it's alrite to do away with beautiful and harmless animals as these is nauseating.
I believe that the Australian government has lost its mind. How can they squeeze these lovely animals into such cramped living areas then expect them not to be maimed, injured, or even killed by stupid human growth. I believe that they were here first and Australia needs to honor this heritage. Small changes can alter the extinction of these species and that needs to be done now, not when these precious animals are gone! Why weren't areas set aside for these Koalas in the first place when housing areas were built?. What a stupid bunch of law makers. Kind of reminds me of ours in the U.S.!
I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.-- Mahatma Gandhi
Oh wow, such negativity. TJP77, I think you are missing the point or blissfully ignoring it, or just a jerk, who is to say. It is absolutely our responsibility to ensure the safety and well being of not just these creatures but all of them. I am not at all advocating a crazy tree-hugging, koala saving uproar but awareness and education is definitely a start. Why shouldn't we care? Why can't we encourage home owners and corporations to become more involved with the environment? I am huge supporter of a green movement because I want to see these animals exist just as much as the volunteers and other individuals working hard to save them. Your negativity and eagerness to dismiss the environment, and the animals that depend on a healthy one, is going to lead to a much greater problem than starting a reasonable act to save them.
This picture and story absolutely breaks my heart !!
I believe that God created all his creatures for His own pleasure and it offends and saddens Him if we don't respect them, try to live with them and kill them by destroying their habitats.
The only animals that are maybe safe from humans afe the fish on the bottom of the ocean and tha's maybe because we can't hunt them down - polkuting the ocean of couse is on way !!!
The fewer people alive on this planet the better for the animals -
to TPJ 777 - where are you, boy ???!!!
tjp you are a** and i hope you or someone you love never has to see that happen rest in hell
Why don't we bring some to the US? We have great protection laws!
If only we could bring them all.
I hope they can preserve them and protect them I don't think the USA enviornment can support them we have kudzu but not as much eucalyptus and that seems to be their main food source...They remind me of Jimmy Durrante How cute....
God Damn it.
God Damn whom? I also suspect God doesn't give a damn, that is up to us.
Join the National Wildlife Federation or similar organizations to see how you can help preserve our
wildlife - having backyard wildlife habitats is a good way - don't destroy animals' natural habitats !!
let them live too !!!
This world needs a lot MORE animals and a lot FEWER people like TJP77 !!!
what an incredible ignorant species we are. you kind of have to wonder what our legacy will be.........if there is one.
This makes me ill. Agent Smith of the Matrix movie said it best:
Agent Smith: I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet.
TJP77 an't help it. Stupid, mean people have not sympathy or imagination..
Like someone said a few post above, why can't we take care of it if Australian government won't?
tjp is a complete ass. These are really wonderful animals. I had an opportnity to work with them in the late 80's. They are one of God's most awesome creatures - you would not believe how docile and gentle they are - a rarity in a wild animal. IMHO, that quality makes them extra special and it breaks my heart that they are in such distress.
A simple gesture to aide in their plight - really strict leash laws to prevent dogs killing them.
PS. I would venture that TJP has no joy in his life. Sucks to be in his skin.
Again as stewards of nature mankind is sorely lacking. Also TJP77 is a prime example of how the evolution of our species is uneven at best. What a loser!
awe, poor things :-{
We have to legislate humanity toward our fellow men, what makes us think people will take care of the things (plant and animal) that can not speak or legislate protection or themselves. We can not see with our own eyes. "God please make me a bird so I can fly away."
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”
Gandhi
Excellent quote and very true.
People people people. TJP is a troll and he or she has done a good job. Take a breath and go plant a eucalyptus tree somewhere.
Wildlife corridors and preservation of eucalyptus groves are an absolutely simple solution .. except it cuts into developer profits (and government taxes). We put money ahead of all else. I don't care if you're Christian or atheist. If you don't see the problem in that, then you're dead inside.