Koalas blamed for Island destruction.

It sounds like they needs to start a Trap-Neuter-Return program for the island's Koakas!

Ooooooooooooooo a call for Aussies.....and it's science related no less..........*bounces off the walls*....

This issue has been around for a few years. And it's not as simple as it sounds.

The koalas are not native to Kangaroo Island. In the 1920s, eighteen koalas were introduced to the island. It was part of an experiment to save threatened animal species on the mainland of Australia. Not all the introduced species survived.

Kangaroo Island Information

Kangaroo Island - Koalas

A TNR program has been costed and is far too expensive for the government. This program was abandoned in 2000.

The current reason for the government resisting the calls for the koala cull to begin is the risk of losing tourism dollars. Nevermind looking at the big picture of the ecosystem going down the sewer and losing those dollars for good, just look at the short term. And this is coming from the Environment Minister of the South Australian Government.

He's refusing to listen to the South Australian Nature Conservation Society who actually supports the cull and to a scientist that was previously part of the task force that looked into the issue. This guy needs to be re-assigned the Tourism portfolio, and someone else with basic scientific knowledge given the Environment portfolio.

Australian Report on Call for Koala Cull

And, there are other problems with relocation. Remember I said that originally only 18 koalas were introduced and now there are thousands? Well, think of the inbreeding that has occurred. Relocation won't necessarily mean providing new genetic material into a population established on the mainland.

Also with relocation, thorough research has to be done of the new home just as we would do when finding homes for cats. You don't want to destabilise either population of koalas, have to make sure that the eucalypts are good enough to eat for the koala. You thought cats could be fussy, just wait till you hear about the koala! They don't eat any old leaf from any old tree. It has to be the right species, and I think it's only three species that are considered to be food sources! And even then, the soil has to be free of toxins so the leaves of the trees are free of toxins.

The koalas on Kangaroo Island appear to be chlamydia free. Koalas normally carry the disease and is usually part of natural death of koalas. It's assumed that the koalas on Kangaroo Island don't have the resistance to chlamydia and when exposed to it on the mainland will die.

You probably picture Kangaroo Island being heavily forested with eucalyptus trees. Well actually much of it has been cleared for farmland limiting the amount of trees for the koala population. There is no tree planting program in place to replace trees in the wild as potential new food sources. And lack of trees also means lack of homes for the koalas so population density of the koalas will be higher than those on the mainland of Australia.

Not only all this, it is also possible that there is a disease killing the trees on Kangaroo Island. They have found the fungus Phytophthera on the island in 1994, the same fungus that caused the Sudden Oak Syndrom in USA.

Australian Koala Federation It's a long article but it is full of information

And as for the cull, it does need to be performed for the greater good of saving the ecosystem. In addition to this, reforestation programs need to be established as soon as possible and land management practices need to be addressed. Tree corridors should also be established if there aren't any so koala populations are able to disperse.

I am curious though....

What about you potential tourists out there?

How would you view Australia for culling native animals to save the ecosystem? Would that deter you from visiting knowing this?

I think it would be a shame, but I believe that it probably needs to be done. Is there no way that some of them could be transfered to zoos around the world?

And as for visiting, if I had the time off work, and the money (hence the no time off work), Australia would be one of my first places to visit. Except I hear your have lots of snakes and I don't like snakes now if you could get rid of the snakes .
Just joking

In a perfect world, the animals would be transferred to other zoos or nature reserves to live out the rest of their lives. However, the world is not perfect. The reason why this isn't done because there is a risk of treating these animals as if they were commodities, something with a price tag. There is already enough problems associated with smuggling and with the black market that exists now. It is felt that by transferring excess animals to other zoos and most likely with a price tag, can further exascerbate the problem.

Snakes? Ha! I live on the edge of a desert and the town is immediately surrounded by the bush. I haven't seen a snake for six months. And that snake was part of a travelling exhibit to educate the public about snakes.

But you just said in your first post that they aren't native to that island....

Yes, Koalas are cute and along with Kangaroos are what most people think of when you say Australia. (Sad, since the country has a lot more to offer than two species of animals!) But realistically, it was a human error that brought it to this point by introducing a non-native species to a confined eco-system. Just as deer and elk need to be culled yearly in order to keep the ecosystem in balance in my part of the world (which is done by issuing a certain number of hunting licenses per year), the same must be done with the koalas. Since TNR has already been tried, culling the population is the only realistic option. Otherwise you risk most of the koalas starving to death, which is definitely not a humane solution.

Would it affect my tourist dollars? Well, if I had the dollars to spend I would most definitely still include Australia on my list of places to visit!!

Ahh, well you put my mine at ease.

I'm a big :chicken: about snakes. My parents were taking down some metal sidding on our house and garter snakes had gotten behind it and nested, and when the sidding was taken off they all tumbled slithering to the ground, I was 6 and my older cousin who was 8 chased me with a hugh one. I can't even look at a snake without feeling scared.

I did didin't I? I should have mentioned that there are other culling programs occur across the nation.

When I think of USA, I think of the bald eagle, wolves and squirrels.

kitkatz, if you do ever visit Australia, you rarely, if at all, see snakes in the city or in large towns.

Alicia, Come to NZ. We have no snakes and it's a beautiful country to boot!(Not saying Oz isn't )

A bit OT but where did Koalas orginally come from? and where is Kangaroo Island? Seriousely I call myself your neigbour

They are both beautiful animals and I'd hate to see them leave.

Sam, I sure hope you know New Zealand better than Australia.

The koalas came from mainland Australia, from Victoria. (That's one of the five states of Australia.)

Kangaroo Island is located off South Australia, another state of Australia. South Australia is the central state in the lower half of Australia. The upper central hlaf is known as Northern Territory...

I think if I had a map this would be easier to visualise.

Map of the States and Territories of Australia including Capital Cities

And here is a map showing Kangaroo Island Look near the border of Victoria and South Australia. It's blurry but it's the best one I could find.

And this is off topic, but if you look in Western Australia, you can see Port Hedland, (NW coast), that's where I live.

Thanks Mags, for that post. It's very handy to know these things! I promise I will study Australian geography one day.