US firm admits koala ‘massacre’ that killed 152 marsupials near its aluminum smelter
- Alcoa, an aluminum smelter, killed 152 koalas
- The koalas suffered from fluoride exposure
A US-owned smelter operating in Victoria’s regional southwest has admitted to euthanizing more than 150 koalas since 2019.
Alcoa, an aluminum smelter in Portland, admitted to killing the koalas after discovering they were deteriorating from exposure to fluoride – a waste product of smelting.
Information shared with Yahoo News found that the company assessed 348 koalas and monitored the fertility of 79 females since it began assessing koala health.
The industry giant found that a large group of koalas living in the 17 acres closest to the smelter were suffering from the effects of fluorosis, a disease caused by exposure to fluoride that can lead to malnutrition and skeletal and dental abnormalities.
Overcrowding also proved to be a problem in the small area.
US aluminum smelter Alcoa has admitted to euthanizing 152 koalas near its Portland smelter
The 152 worst-affected koalas, about 60 percent of the animals studied, were euthanized and the forest was closed to the public in March.
In response to the tragic loss of life, Alcoa has implemented a Koala Management Plan.
Part of the plan to restore the well-being of koalas in the area includes planting 16,000 eucalyptus trees on 14 acres away from the smelter.
Alcoa hopes that by gradually removing the 17 hardest-hit acres as the plantation grows, it will encourage the koalas to move to the new forest.
“We remain committed to the continued protection and management of the local koala population,” a spokesman said in a statement.
However, wildlife activists say the situation in Portland is just one example of a larger koala crisis in Victoria.
Koalas are listed as endangered in NSW, QLD and the ACT, but the Victorian government claims the koala population is ‘safe’.
Some parts of the state have even declared an overpopulation of koalas, including the Southwest where Portland is located.
Alcoa has since produced a Koala Management Plan to plant 16,000 eucalyptus trees near the smelter (above)
In 2022, the government euthanized nearly a third of the 125 koalas near the dormant Budj Bim volcano, about 43 miles (70 km) from Portland.
Koala Alliance Victoria is just one of several agencies claiming that Victoria is overestimating the stability of the koala population and calling for the national icons to be treated with more respect.
“If we don’t act, koalas in Victoria will disappear without even being on the endangered species list,” spokesperson Jessica Roberson told Yahoo.
“That would be a terrible tragedy and we will not rest until something is done to reverse it.”