Seeing a koala in the wild is a thrilling experience for most, but for people in one Aussie town who regularly spot the iconic animal in their streets, it is a pleasure tinged with sadness. That was the case for one local this week who captured a “sad” moment that highlights a major issue in the area.
It was another sighting of a “dazed” and out-of-place koala, which was spotted on Monday in Portland — a town in southwest Victoria where logging operations have dramatically displaced and impacted the population.
Local koala advocate Helen Oakley was driving along Wellington Road in south Portland when she caught a glimpse of a lone koala clinging to the only tree on a roundabout surrounded by heavy traffic.
“I was heading straight through the roundabout when I saw in the middle of a tree [there was] a little koala,” she told Yahoo News on Thursday. “There’s only one tree in there… it clearly had to navigate the roundabout and traffic to find safety in that tree.”
Oakley thought about stopping to help the koala but feared her intervention could spook the animal onto the road where traffic was thundering past. She returned a few hours later in search of the animal but saw no sign of it, left to question whether it found safety elsewhere.
Hundreds of koalas have died in Portland
The city has been the backdrop to hundreds of koala deaths in recent years as increased logging activity has pushed the native animals out of their habitat and into harm’s way.
“There’s blue gums everywhere here and they’re cutting them down. Koalas are found on the road in a daze because their tree is gone… They’re hungry, they’ve lost habitat, they have to be on the ground and risk being run over or attacked by dogs. They face a lot of dangers,” Oakley said.
In 2021, a property owner in Cape Bridgewater and two companies were charged with a total of 253 animal cruelty offences after their actions disturbed more than 200 koalas, injuring and killing at least 70 animals. Oakley was the one who sounded the alarm to authorities. The incident is now referred to as the ‘Portland massacre’.
Portland has been the scene of hundreds of koala deaths due to increase logging activity. Source: Supplied
However, the fatalities have not stopped. Last year a US company was found responsible for killing 152 koalas in the area, and locals have found deceased koalas dumped in cardboard boxes along the roadside.
“It’s utterly devastating,” Oakley said.
Plea to protect dying koalas
It’s a simple request but it’s one Oakley claims is falling on deaf ears.
“We need to do more,” she said. “Trees in Portland are sparse now. It’s tragic… it never used to be a regular occurrence.
“Portland needs to start proactively planting native gum trees. They’ve got this idea branches need to be just cut back rather than supported. We need to embrace them and what they offer,” she said.
Last year, 14 hectares of eucalyptus were planted to create habitat for koalas in a bid to provide an alternative but the local woman believes it’s merely a drop in the ocean compared to what needs to be done.
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