Another nail in koala's coffin

By BILLY ADAMS

SYDNEY - Pity the poor koala. Already feared to be on a painful decline towards extinction, Australia's bushfires have hammered another nail into the coffin of its best-loved icon.

Of the thousands of animals wiped out in the last fortnight, this little marsupial seems most ill-prepared for the inferno.

The slowcoach koala's only possible escape would have been to climb to the top of a eucalyptus tree and tuck itself into a furry ball, hopefully out of reach of the flames.

But a eucalypt's oil is volatile, and whole trees often simply explode.

Koala lovers hold out little hope for those caught in the firestorm.

"Even if a koala makes it, the time after the fire is very difficult," says Ann Sharp, general manager of the Australian Koala Foundation.

"They have to come down to the ground to change trees, and that's where they get burns on their feet and noses, where they are most vulnerable. They also suffer from smoke inhalation and dehydration."

Longer-term survival is made even more precarious by the loss of their natural habitat.

Cute and cuddly, the koalas in Australia's zoos are a popular attraction. It is a far cry from the lot of their wild cousins, whose existence was under attack from many sides before the Black Christmas of 2001 made life even more difficult.

Population numbers have slumped from several million in the 1930s to about 100,000.

Hunters used to be the main culprits. Now, roads and houses are cutting into their natural habitats. Dogs and cars have added to the destruction.

Last week the National Parks and Wildlife Service estimated that many of the 10,000 koalas in New South Wales may have died or been injured, though conservationists believe most live near coastal areas which have not so far been hit.

"It is too early to say because we haven't been able to go in and see," Ann Sharp said. "Losing a small population doesn't have a huge impact on the koala population as a whole, but the cumulative effect is a big problem.".

Though no human lives have been lost in the fires, theeffect on Australia's fauna and flora has been enormous. Countless kangaroos, wallabies, possums, birds and reptiles have died.

In the half-million hectares of burned-out parkland and forest - an area twice the size of Greater London - it is believed only about 200 animals have been found and treated by rescue workers.

Many were so badly burned they had to be destroyed. Others have no long-term prospects of survival because of the loss of habitat.

The Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife Service has 450 volunteer carers, but only 30 animals have come through their doors so far.

"We've not had a lot coming in because the fires have been so massive," said animal rescue worker Chris Miller.

But some conservationists are more optimistic about the future, arguing that surviving animals will thrive by migrating back to bushland which will quickly recover.