As Koala Populations Plummet, A Fight Unfolds Over Endangered Species Protection

Photo: Lip Kee under a Creative Commons license.

Australia's koalas are in trouble. Since 2003, populations have fallen 20%, leaving the total number of animals somewhere between 43,000 and 80,000. One of Australia's most emblematic animals, koalas are chiefly threatened by three factors: climate change, sexually transmitted diseases, and habitat loss. Things are looking so bad, some estimate that the animal will be extinct by the year 2040.
But now, scientists at the Australian Koala Foundation are mounting an effort to list the koala as an endangered species, and to thwart the animals' doom.

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