High in the Eucalyptus: Meeting Australia's Iconic Koala and the Blue Mountains

  1. Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: Land clearing for housing and agriculture destroys the mature eucalyptus trees they depend on, forcing koalas onto the ground where they face dangers from vehicle collisions and dog attacks.
  2. Climate Change and Severe Bushfires: Rising temperatures, droughts and intense wildfires, like the catastrophic 2019–2020 "Black Summer" bushfires burned millions of acres of forest, severely depleting their populations.
  3. Infectious Diseases: Bacterial infections spread rapidly through stressed populations, threatening their health.

The good news is that Australia is taking major steps forward: community wildlife corridors are being planted to reconnect isolated forests, citizen scientists use acoustic drones to track tree populations and specialized wildlife hospitals rescue and rehabilitate injured koalas so they can return safely to the wild!

Location:
Blue Mountains + Sydney Zoo New South Wales, Australia
Location Data:
POINT (133.775136 -25.274398)

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