Environment Minister Says Up To 30% Of The NSW Koala Population Is Dead Due To The Fires

Australian Environment Minister Sussan Ley has told media that around 30% of the NSW koala population is likely to have perished in the devastating bushfires.

[jwplayer KlfklHWk]

Ley made the statement based on the sheer volume of land that’s been destroyed, saying “up to 30% of their habitat has been destroyed” and therefore we can only assume up to 30% of their population has perished also.

For all the lovely stories of people taking in injured koalas and homeless animals during the horrific bushfire crisis, in December a NSW inquiry deduced that because of the sheer 5 million hectare span of the NSW north coast bushfires, “we will probably never find the bodies” and therefore can assume a massive portion of the koala population is gone.

Ley continued by saying other animals at risk of endangerment, like the dunnart on Kangaroo Island in South Australia and the western ground parrot are also in need of help.

“It doesn’t need to be fluffy and cute, it can be scaly and scratchy, and it’s just as important to me as environment minister but also to the Australian environment.”

In a fucking annoying turn, Ley then said that the government is doing fine on climate change, actually.

“Climate change is a huge issue and we are playing our part. We are meeting and beating our targets, it’s very important that we do that. My focus is on the things we can do on the ground, with practical action here in Australia that do make a difference.”

Hmmmmmmmmmmm IDK about that, but from a practical point of view for us all since we can’t rely on the pollies to, you know, even FUND THE POOR VOLUNTEER FIRIES, if you want to help the koalas and other animals during this terrible time, the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital has been working overtime to care for injured koalas from the Mid-North Coast affected area. In South Australia, Fauna Rescue are where it’s at.

More Stuff From PEDESTRIAN.TV