By Danielle Kutchel
It’s Save the Koala Month, and Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale is marking the occasion by raising awareness on social media about our native bears.
Michael Johnson, founder of the sanctuary, said koalas were now regarded as vulnerable throughout Australia thanks to habitat loss and increased human activity.
Being listed as ‘vulnerable’ is one step from being endangered, he added – and unfortunately, the population continues to decline.
If koalas were to be listed as endangered, it would be likely they would go extinct within five years, Mr Johnson said.
Koalas are internationally renowned and loved; the majority of international visitors want to meet koalas when they’re in the country, according to the sanctuary founder.
“They’re probably our most economically important animal!” he said.
At Moonlit Sanctuary, staff try to encourage visitors to learn about koalas and understand them better.
Mr Johnson said breeding the animals in captivity was a last-ditch attempt to save them; helping them in their natural habitat is best.
The key to saving koalas will be preserving their habitat and increasing planting of eucalypts, he said.
Humans will also need to stop domestic animals like dogs and cats from roaming and attacking the bears or spreading diseases to them.
It’s important too to let politicians know about the support for koalas and their habitats, he added.
“It’s getting that message across to politicians that this is important, we need to have habitat preserved.”
He also recommended that motorists also slow down when driving through koala habitat.
