Questions mainly for Australians

Without doing any research I can say with confidence that there is no helicopter hunting of koalas going on.

Destruction of koala habitat is the principal threat to their numbers. That, and chlamydia, a contagious disease they are prone to.

As their habitat is bulldozed for new housing estates they have nowhere to go and when on the ground they are helpless, and subject to attacks by dogs. Bushfires are another reason why their habitat is under threat.
 
Authorities chose to kill Koalas by shooting them from helicopters after determining other methods were not feasible or appropriate. The areas is rugged Terraine, and the animals live high in trees, The animals were suffering as a result of a recent bushfire that swept through the national park in early March after a lightning strike ignited the area. Many of the Koalas had burnt, fur and skin missing. Some were huddled together in
trees that had no leaves, so the poor animals were starving. If you look up Desley Whisson's post in Linked In he says it all. I know we all love these beautiful creatures but sometimes we need to be cruel to be kind.
 

oscash said:
Authorities chose to kill Koalas by shooting them from helicopters after determining other methods were not feasible or appropriate. The areas is rugged Terraine, and the animals live high in trees, The animals were suffering as a result of a recent bushfire that swept through the national park in early March after a lightning strike ignited the area. Many of the Koalas had burnt, fur and skin missing. Some were huddled together in
trees that had no leaves, so the poor animals were starving. If you look up Desley Whisson's post in Linked In he says it all. I know we all love these beautiful creatures but sometimes we need to be cruel to be kind.
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And there are no other options? Relo, feeding, culling as needed? A heli hunter sees a target and has to be quick. There is no checking if his target was really that bad off or if his aim was perfect. Rugged terrain? Perfect for boy scouts, girl scouts, recovering convicts, military, volunteers.
16.000 horses?
Hüpfspaß und Löwenzahn: Abigails wilde Geburtstagssause im Vogelpark Marlow
 
oscash said:
Authorities chose to kill Koalas by shooting them from helicopters after determining other methods were not feasible or appropriate. The areas is rugged Terraine, and the animals live high in trees, The animals were suffering as a result of a recent bushfire that swept through the national park in early March after a lightning strike ignited the area. Many of the Koalas had burnt, fur and skin missing. Some were huddled together in
trees that had no leaves, so the poor animals were starving. If you look up Desley Whisson's post in Linked In he says it all. I know we all love these beautiful creatures but sometimes we need to be cruel to be kind.
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I seem to have missed this. Where and when did this happen?
 
Warrigal said:
I seem to have missed this. Where and when did this happen?
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Warrigal: It seems there were terrible bushfires in early March, 2025. Parks Victoria said "On the 10th of March 2025 a bush fire started in Budj Bim National Park from a lightning strike, it burned 2,200 hectares (40% of the park), Due to the intensity of the fire a significant amount of wildlife were impacted. Look up Parks Victoria.
 
Twostep said:
And there are no other options? Relo, feeding, culling as needed?
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How would you get them all from tall trees in rugged terrain t o relocate them? and where would you relocate them to? - if it is another wilderness area they will just die there as well as infect/impact the population i n the new location.
Australian ecosystems may be rugged but they are also fragile - you cant just relocate 16 000 burnt, sick, starving koalas from somewhere else into them.

and how would you feed 16 000 sick and burnt koalas in the wild - they eat a very limited diet and the reason they are starving is the loss of habitat from the fires.
Culling - yes. Isnt this a way of doing that?

I dont think authorities did this because they were gun happy - they did it because there wasn't another way that was feasible.
and for the long run regeneration of the national park, including the koala population, neccesary.
 
oscash said:
Warrigal: It seems there were terrible bushfires in early March, 2025. Parks Victoria said "On the 10th of March 2025 a bush fire started in Budj Bim National Park from a lightning strike, it burned 2,200 hectares (40% of the park), Due to the intensity of the fire a significant amount of wildlife were impacted. Look up Parks Victoria.
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Thanks. I will.
 
January said:
How would you get them all from tall trees in rugged terrain t o relocate them? and where would you relocate them to? - if it is another wilderness area they will just die there as well as infect/impact the population i n the new location.
Australian ecosystems may be rugged but they are also fragile - you cant just relocate 16 000 burnt, sick, starving koalas from somewhere else into them.

and how would you feed 16 000 sick and burnt koalas in the wild - they eat a very limited diet and the reason they are starving is the loss of habitat from the fires.
Culling - yes. Isnt this a way of doing that?

I dont think authorities did this because they were gun happy - they did it because there wasn't another way that was feasible.
and for the long run regeneration of the national park, including the koala population, neccesary.
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700 koalas and 16.000 horses.
 
January said:
sorry - I misquoted the numbers - but doesn't change the points I made.

It is sad but there wasn't a feasible alternative.
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60.000 hurt, injured, killed in five years.

Points or no points. Please read up a bit on heli hunting. It is hit or miss and you do not k ow what you hit or what you missed.
 
Sure it isn't ideal. Not saying it is.

Sometimes there isn't a good option, and that includes the option of doing nothing. But seems best option available.
 
koalas are a national pride - I think better efforts could be made if necessary - some people sometimes don't just care?? things can be done but some don't wanna spend the money and make the effort
 
Twostep said:
Easy out.
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or simple reality.

Koalas may be a national pride but if there is no other feasible realistic option, they sometimes have to be culled in best way possible.

People care - but they are also pragmatic.

I admit I dont want governments spending unlimited money on saving 700 koalas - council doesnt have an unlimited amount of taxpayers money to play with and they do have to be make harsh financial decisions.
 
smiley said:
are you saying you are worth more than a Koala??
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I am saying money needs to be prioritised and taking unlimited money from other programs to somehow rescue 700 burnt koalas at any cost (if that were even possible) and for human health, housing etc to be reduced on account of that is not best use of government resources

if some private benefactor had a way of doing it and unlimited money , I'm sure they would have been given approval to do so.
 
January said:
I am saying money needs to be prioritised and taking unlimited money from other programs to somehow rescue 700 burnt koalas at any cost (if that were even possible) and for human health, housing etc to be reduced on account of that is not best use of government resources

if some private benefactor had a way of doing it and unlimited money , I'm sure they would have been given approval to do so.
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Again 16.000 and how does one determine the monetary value of 700 imminent needs versus what - traffic lights?
 
Twostep said:
Again 16.000 and how does one determine the monetary value of 700 imminent needs versus what - traffic lights?
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Vs road safety, health programs,childcare,education housing etc etc - all the things government money has to cover.
 

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