In 2012 Koala bears were determined to be vulnerable, Now in 2020 after the recent mass habitat destruction due to rampant wild fires in Australia they are considered endangered. Up to 30% of the already vulnerable species were killed in the fires. Now that this has taken place the majority of the koala bear populations exists in captivity. The Australian government has issued 50 million dollars to go to an emergency effort to help save and recuperate the species. Kola’s are not a vital part of the ecosystem however the dismissal of any animal from its place in the ecosystem is almost never a good thing. In these recent wildfires 13 other species have also become endangered and the combination of all of these endangerment will devastate the ecosystem and only make it harder for the forest and vegetation to recover. Before koala bears can be reintroduced into the environment there needs to be a good amount of time to let the vegetation and trees grow back because the koala bear’s habitat and food source come from the trees. Koala bears spend their entire lives eating leaves and sleeping so they would appear to many to be a non vital part to the environment but they do play a part in the food chain. Koala’s are also an animal that many people associate with Australia and when they travel they look forward to seeing koala bears. This is probably why the endangerment of the koalas has been such big news and the main species that is focused on when talking about the fires in Australia.
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John M 