Koala plummets to the ground clinging to a gum tree as it’s cut down by loggers in heartbreaking video
Heartbreaking footage has emerged of a koala climbing a tree as it is being chopped down by loggers.
Huge quantities of unwanted blue gums are being culled on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island, killing large numbers of the feared iconic marsupials.
The video is circulating onlineshowing koalas clinging to falling blue gums, was taken over two days in November 2023 and January 2024.
It is understood that all logging has stopped while an investigation takes place.
Animal activists are in despair after seeing disturbing images.
Miles of unwanted blue gums are cleared on Kangaroo Island, with hundreds of koalas perched high in their canopies
Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network chairwoman Katie Welz told Daily Mail Australia the horror video made her cry and left her feeling “frustrated and angry”.
In a statement, she went on to say: “This isn’t about politics, it’s about animal welfare.”
‘The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network is deeply concerned about the issues affecting wildlife on blue gum plantations… We have reviewed the plantation’s Koala Management Plan and although ambitious, it is largely unachievable’ , said Mrs. Welz.
‘Currently the toll of harvesting on the welfare of the koala population is unacceptably high.
“Our aim is to work with the plantations and regulators to develop a plan that facilitates the felling of the blue gum trees without causing extreme injury and death to wildlife.
The video circulating online, which shows koalas clinging to falling blue gums, was recorded over two days in November 2023 and January 2024.
It is understood that all logging has stopped while an investigation takes place
‘We hope that by shining a light on the impact this is having on koalas, it will encourage all relevant parties to come together to ensure that the plantations are cleared safely and that the impact on all species currently in these areas are alive, diminished.’
Furious wildlife campaigners claim hundreds of koalas have died as a result of the widespread evictions that they say extend 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’.
Huge quantities of unwanted blue gums are being cleared on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island
Mr Pengilly supported this and said AAG had gone further than necessary.
He said they are “very knowledgeable” about animal welfare, before saying: “Obviously one (koala) will probably die 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.