Why this heartbreaking picture of a koala clinging to a tree has Aussies outraged

Australians are outraged by a photo of a koala climbing a tree after loggers wiped out its habitat.

Huge quantities of unwanted blue gums are being culled on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island, leaving large numbers of iconic marsupials dead or homeless.

Animal activists are in despair after seeing heartbreaking images of distressed koalas being felled by trees.

Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network chairwoman Katie Welz said she couldn’t believe this was allowed to happen.

Miles of unwanted blue gums are cleared on Kangaroo Island, with hundreds of koalas perched high in their canopies

“After I stopped crying, I was just frustrated and angry,” she said 7News.

“I find it astonishing that this is allowed to happen.”

Furious wildlife campaigners claim hundreds of koalas have died as a result of the widespread evictions that reportedly stretch for miles.

Activists fear that clearing the land will be disastrous for the koala population, which was wiped out by 80 percent in 2020’s forest fires.

However, logging company Australian Agribusiness Group (AAG) and Kangaroo Island Mayor Michael Pengilly have defended the clearing.

A spokesperson for AAG said they provide ‘the highest possible level of protection for the local animal population’.

Mr Pengilly supported this and said AAG had gone further than necessary.

Activists fear clearing the land could be disastrous for a population that was 80 percent wiped out by forest fires in 2020 (stock image)

Activists fear clearing the land could be disastrous for a population that was 80 percent wiped out by forest fires in 2020 (stock image)

He said they are “very knowledgeable” about animal welfare, before saying: “Obviously one (koala) will probably crash every now and then.”

Loggers say they use spotters and thermal imaging cameras to check for koalas.

They also said they were bypassing trees with koalas, plus another eight around them, so the animals can find more of their natural habitat.

Whistleblowers fear an Aussie icon is becoming ‘collateral damage’ and want registration to be paused until a solution is found.