Protesters Leave Dead Koalas to Parliament House

Posted by Roberta Goli Oct 1, 2009

Recently a group of protestors delivered five dead koalas in coffins outside Queensland’s Parliament House, Australia. The protesters are claiming that the marsupials are close to becoming extinct and want the government to do something about it. Threats to these cute, furry mammals include:

• Disease
• Being hit by cars
• Dog attacks
• Destruction of koala habitat due to development
• Forest fires

Stress brought on by the these threats causes the virus chlamydiosis to flare up in koalas and is also threatening to wipe them out, already affecting 50-90% of the population.

Chlamydiosis causes sores, similar to cold sores, which lead to infections of the eye, urinary tract, reproductive and respiratory systems resulting in blindness, infertility and death. The Australian Koala Foundation is urging governments to classify koalas as a threatened species and to implement protection policies.

Queensland government has since announced that it would protect koala habitats at Alexandra Hills in Queensland, and are planning a protection policy in an attempt to reduce the koalas declining numbers.

Source: Rally brings dead koalas to parliament

For more information about the koala read Koala Facts – Phascolarctos cinereus.