26.8 C
Accra
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
FeaturesKoalas eat toxic leaves but humans are their biggest threat

Date:

Koalas eat toxic leaves but humans are their biggest threat

They sleep nearly all day and night, avoid socializing, and are not actually bears. There’s nothing else like them, yet koalas face extinction.

Koala “bears” are a marsupial — not a mammal, and, therefore, not actually bear — that evolved over 25 million years ago.

A very distant relative of the wombat, no other animal on earth comes close to them and they’re even classified into their own family, called Phascolarctidae. These loners are also very territorial.

One of the most iconic animals on the planet, the universal symbol for all that is cute and fluffy — and lazy — has extremely powerful claws with three fingers and two thumbs for extra grip. These paws allow koalas to easily scale and make a home in towering eucalyptus trees that dominate Australian forests.

The animal is raised in its mother’s pouch and sleeps up to 22 hours a day. Koalas get so tired because they spend their waking life feasting on toxic eucalyptus leaves that would kill most mammals. They eat up to one kilogram (2.2 pounds) a day due to the low nutritional value of the leaves, and also to satisfy their thirst.

Koalas are also extremely fussy. They will eat just 50 varieties of the more than 800 eucalyptus species in Australia.

These trees can only be found in Australia’s relatively forested east and southeast coasts. The problem is, when forests burn or are cut down, Australia’s furriest mascot has nowhere to go.

A wild koala scales a gum tree in burnt bushMore frequent and intense bushfires are destroying koala habitats

Wildfires and chlamydia threaten koalas

Back in 1788 when the British invaded Australia, as many as 10 million koalas were said to inhabit the country. That number has now dropped to 50,000 by some estimates.

Since European colonization, millions of koalas died at the hands of hunters who prized their furs. More recently, koala populations are threatened as habits are cleared for development.

If that’s not bad enough, chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, is rampant in the population. It can not only cause blindness but infertility.

But global heating is the animal’s greatest threat. Drought and extreme heat are reducing the water and nutrition content of the koala’s pure leaf diet. And wildfires worsened by climate change have already destroyed fast swathes of their habitat.

Scenes of blackened, burning koalas fleeing the Black Summer fires that engulfed eastern Australia in 2019-2020 helped inspire politicians to raise the conservation status of koalas from vulnerable to endangered.

Two women try to coax a koala from a tree Bushfire survivors are released back into the wild following the Black Summer fires

Yet koala numbers declined by 30% between 2018 and 2021. In the state of New South Wales, Australia’s most popular animal will likely be extinct by 2050 without urgent intervention.  As populations become more isolated, a reported lack of genetic diversity also limits their ability to adapt.

Could koalas be saved?

While the koala population is struggling in the hotter north, the marsupial is said to flourish in cooler climates and some populations are stable in the southern state of Victoria — and more genetically diverse.

The koalas are also a few kilos bigger on average and are also fluffier with more fur.

Though they weigh up to 14 kilograms in the south, the critters are half the size of the “giant” koalas that roamed Australia until becoming extinct around 50,000 years ago.

The koala population in Victoria is around 24,000, according to one estimate, and has the potential to grow. But, as ever, continued deforestation means its habitat limit has been reached — for now.

DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana

Source: dw.com

 

[forminator_poll id="710479"]

Latest stories

NPP to set up committee to review defeat in 2024 polls

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has revealed its intention...

We cannot release results with GHS25m – WAEC to govt

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has expressed frustration...

Govt misses T-bills target as interest rates near 30%

The government narrowly missed its treasury bills target as...

NPP issuing last-minute appointments to sabotage us – NDC

The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC),...

280 NPP members, including Cynthia Morrison expelled for violating party ethics

The Agona West Constituency of the New Patriotic Party...

Ruto expands cabinet to include more opposition to secure national unity

Kenya’s President William Ruto has brought more opposition leaders...

OB Amponsah makes history with 4,000-seat Comedy Show

Ghanaian optometrist and comedian OB Amponsah made history by...

Related stories

Guardiola ready to bid €80M for Kudus – Reports

Manchester City is reportedly preparing to make an €80...

GFA reportedly planning a dissolution of the entire Black Stars backroom staff

Ghanaian football legends John Paintsil and Fatau Dauda are...

Mikel Arteta defends substituting Martin Ødegaard in Arsenal draw

Mikel Arteta has explained his decision to substitute Arsenal...

Mbappe no longer with transgender girlfriend; he said he is single

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has reportedly ended his...

Saudi Arabia confirmed as 2034 World Cup hosts – FIFA confirms

FIFA has announced that Saudi Arabia will host the...

BBC reports on Ghanaians’ expectation of jobs, tax cuts from Mahama

Ghana's former President John Dramani Mahama will be under enormous pressure...