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Koalas could be endangered due to bushfires: Minister
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IANS | 13 Jan, 2020
Australian Minister of Environment Sussan Ley on Monday warned that
koalas could be listed as an endangered species as a result of the
devastating bushfires that have killed thousands of the animal.
Ley
and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Monday announced A$50 million ($34
million) in funding to support species affected by the bushfire crisis,
reports Xinhua news agency.
Ley told the media that koala
populations have suffered an "extraordinary hit" from the fires,
declaring that the iconic native Australian species could be officially
listed as "endangered".
Koalas have been considered "vulnerable"
since 2012 but Ley said that the Threatened Species Scientific
Committee, which manages the status of all species in Australia, could
soon downgrade it.
"There is no doubt a large number of koalas have lost their lives, many others have been injured," she said.
"The truth is we don't know the full extent of that damage until it has been mapped and until these fires are over."
Experts
fear that half of the 50,000 koalas that live on Kangaroo Island in
South Australia, one of the hardest hit by the bushfires, have perished
in the blazes.
"Everything that can be done to rescue and recover
koala habitat, will be done, including innovative approaches that look
at whether you can actually put a koala in an area that it hasn't come
from," Ley saidy.
Half of the additional funding will go directly
to zoos, wildlife carers and hospitals while the rest will be managed
by Sally Box, the Threatened Species Commissioner, who will co-chair a
committee with Ley on long-term recovery efforts.
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