koalas going the way of the giant panda (?)

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The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) (1) is one of Australia's national symbols. On my first trip down under, I went to Taronga Zoo in Sydney specifically to see these cute and cuddly mascots of Australia (along with the kangaroo, of course). I even got koala baubles and stuffed toys as souvenirs of that trip.

I have previously thought that these creatures are docile and quiet; however, I was told that they could be violent and they do make horrific noises at night. Thankfully, I was staying in one of the inner city suburbs in Sydney at that time and not near any forests; I was lucky not to hear koala families communicating with each other. My image of cute and cuddly koalas has stayed intact. 

Koala poster boy (or girl) in Taronga Zoo

At present, the koala is listed as "least concern" in the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) system (1). Like the giant panda, however, the koala might soon be declared an endangered species.

Scientists from leading universities in Australia have observed the decrease in koala numbers in several regions of the country. They also identified the contributors to the decline of the koala population. As with giant pandas (2, 3), the shrinking koala population is caused by climate change and human encroachment (4, 5). A third factor, Chlamydia infection (6), also contribute to the decline of the koala (4, 5).

For more details, please read the news articles 4 and 5 in the references list.

Will the koala outlive the pressures it faces today? I hope it does. The giant panda population, through serious conservation efforts from government and non-government organisations, is growing (7).

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References:
  1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koala
  2. http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=109837
  3. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2001/04/16/panda_china010416.html
  4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/14/koalas-chlamydia-climate-change_n_876937.html
  5. http://www.worldcrunch.com/climate-change-and-chlamydia-may-be-too-much-australia-s-koalas-bear/3267
  6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlamydia_(bacterium)
  7. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-06/10/content_338386.htm

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