Australia to Spend a Record $35 Million to Protect Koalas
upstart writes:
Australia to spend a record $35 million to protect koalas:
"Koalas are one of Australia's most loved and best recognised icons, both here at home and across the world, and we are committed to protecting them for generations to come," Morrison said in the statement.
The fund will be used for "restoring koala habitat, improving our understanding of koala populations, supporting training in koala treatment and care, and strengthening research into koala health outcomes," Morrison said.
Alleged 'koala massacre' prompts hundreds of animal cruelty charges
Australian authorities on Wednesday charged a landowner and two companies with more than 250 counts of animal cruelty over the deaths of dozens of koalas during a clearance operation last year.
According to a statement from Victoria state's Conservation Regulator, 21 koalas were found dead and dozens more injured at a timber plantation in Cape Bridgewater, about 377 kilometers (234 miles) southwest of the state capital, Melbourne, in February 2020.
Authorities euthanized 49 of the wounded koalas, with many suffering from starvation, dehydration and fractures, the statement said.
With the new investment, the Australian government will have dedicated $74 million Australian ($52 million US) on koalas since 2019, it added.
Since 2018, about 30% of Australia's koalas have been lost due to bushfire, drought, and land clearing for development, according to an Australian Koala Foundation statement in September 2021. That includes the severe losses of the population after the catastrophic bushfires of 2019, which destroyed more than 12 million acres (48,000 square kilometers) of land across New South Wales alone.
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