UPDATE: According to IFAW, approximately 1,000 koalas in Victoria, Australia, that were affected by bushfires, have been killed by aerial shooting within Budj Bim National Park, a World Heritage site.
For decades, koalas in Victoria have faced peril due to habitat destruction and the planting of blue gum plantations, which are processed into wood chips and shipped overseas. As native eucalypt forests were cleared for farmland and plantations, koalas were driven away from their native habitats.
These plantations once served as a haven for koalas but have become dangerous when blue gum is harvested, leading to koala injuries, deaths, and displacement. Koalas also struggle to survive due to starvation from a lack of food.
Due to land clearing, there is less suitable koala habitat and connectivity, and the current response to plantation management remains insufficient, with guidelines that do not adequately protect koalas from harm and displacement.
There is an urgent need for the Victorian Government to address this critical koala crisis in order to protect and restore koala habitats, ensuring their survival in Australia.
The Australian IFAW team is working to ensure that each member of Victoria’s parliament receives the petition below, emphasizing the urgent need for stronger welfare regulations, replanting efforts, and the establishment of wildlife corridors. By taking urgent action now, Victoria’s government can lead the way in protecting these precious animals.
SIGN IFAW’S PETITION HERE!
APRIL 25th: In a country that proudly displays the koala as a symbol of its natural heritage, a heartbreaking operation is unfolding — one that has left conservationists, animal lovers, and Australians in shock and disbelief. The Victorian government’s Department of Environment (DEECA) has authorized an aerial cull of koalas in Budj Bim National Park, a decision that has already seen the deaths of approximately 700 of these gentle marsupials.
The reasoning behind the cull points to the aftermath of devastating bushfires that scorched over 2,000 hectares of the park earlier this year. With their natural habitat turned to ash, many koalas were left weak, starving, dehydrated, and suffering. But instead of the Australian government committing to rescue and rehabilitation, the state has opted for extermination, a choice that critics call inhumane and short-sighted.
Among the most gut-wrenching aspects of the operation is the toll that it’s taking on joeys, the young koalas who are entirely dependent on their mothers for survival. With their mothers shot from helicopters, many joeys have been left orphaned, alone in the burnt-out bush with no food, no protection, and no chance of survival. Animal welfare organizations are calling the situation a disaster, demanding transparency and accountability. They are pushing for an independent review of how this decision was made and how such a situation could have ever been allowed in a nation that once vowed to protect its native wildlife.
Koalas are already facing a precarious future. Habitat loss from logging, land development, disease, and climate-driven disasters has pushed populations in many areas to the brink. They are officially listed as ‘endangered’ across several regions of Australia. Every single life matters, and yet, here we are, watching them being slaughtered from the sky.
This is more than just a controversial policy, it’s a moral failure. At a time when we should be rallying to restore wildlife populations and safeguard what remains of Australia’s unique biodiversity, the government is instead opting for lethal measures with little oversight and devastating consequences.
Koalas are not pests. They are our responsibility. Let’s make sure the world knows we won’t stand by while Australia’s national icon is gunned down.
TAKE ACTION! Demand that the Victorian government halt this sickening cull immediately and invest in humane, science-based solutions for wildlife. You can help by signing this petition HERE!
You can also help by contacting the Victorian Government HERE!
