Skip to main content

koalas going the way of the giant panda (?)

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).

---
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
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for dropping by!

Before moving on, please share your thoughts or comments about the post. :)

Thanks again!

Popular posts from this blog

10 things I learned while driving on Marcos Highway to Baguio City

I went on a day trip to the City of Pines, which was around a 700-km drive from my house. I drove  going up there and then from the city to Victoria, Tarlac. After that, my dad took over the driving duties. It was day trip with Tita Ising and Tito Sibing with us. Anyway, this trip was my first time to go to Baguio City with me behind the wheel. As everyone who drives up knows, there are three main routes to Baguio from the lowlands: Kennon Road, which ascends from Rosario, La Union. It was out of my options because it's too dangerous to use that road in the rainy season. The second route is via Naguilian Road, which makes my trip a lot longer because the beginning of the ascent is in Bauang, La Union (further north). The last route, and the one I took, was the Marcos Highway, now known as the Aspiras-Palispis Highway. This 47-km road starts from Agoo, La Union and is touted as the safest route among the three.  As I drove up and then down (on the same day; we were in Bagu
5 comments
Read more

How MALDI-TOF-MS makes mycobacterium diagnosis faster and more accurate

The laboratory I work in has plenty of instruments that help us characterise and identify microorganisms causing diseases in patients. One of my current projects is to validate an instrument called "matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometer" (MALDI-TOF-MS) in identifying members of the Mycobacterium  species. Many of these organisms are opportunistic, meaning they only cause illnesses in people whose immune systems are not strong enough to fight infections. Mycobacterium leprae  is known for causing leprosy, but we cannot grow this bacterium in culture media, so we cannot isolate it. Mycobacterium tuberculosis  complex, on the other hand, is a group of several species of Mycobacterium  that causes tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a disease that killed 1.6 million people in 2021 alone. It is a leading cause of death globally, second only to COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Identifying the Mycobacterium species that has infected a patient is
Post a Comment
Read more

a crash course on traditional Filipino houses

On Dr Jose Rizal's birthday this year, I was back in historic Manila with Ate Bing, Ate Mary , and Manuel . But instead of visiting him, we opted to soak up on Philippine culture. Our first stop: the Cultural Center of the Philippines ' (CCP) Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino .  Aside from the musical instruments, I noticed the dioramas about Filipino homes. Filipinos living by the sea (the 'sea gypsies', Sama Dilaut or Badjao ) have boathouses; those who live in the mountains, like the Bagobos , have developed interconnected houses in the trees; Filipinos who live along the path of the strongest typhoon winds, such as the Ivatans , have developed houses of thick limestone walls; and people who live in calmer conditions used bamboo and nipa to construct their houses, like the lowlanders and the Agtas . Sama Dilaut 'lepa' and houses on stilts (in the background) Ivatan limestone house nipa hut Ifugao 'fale' Maranao '
Post a Comment
Read more