Kangaroo Island's koala

You are more likely to see a koala in the wild on Kangaroo Island than anywhere else

. The koala population here has been estimated as high as 30,000far oustripping the number of human residents on the island. The fact that the island has so many of these cuddly-looking marsupials is both a tribute to its qualities and a cautionary tale about well-meaning conservation.

Koalas are not native to the island. They were brought here in 1923, when it was obvious the species was in trouble. On the mainland, rapidly growing suburbs were gobbling up their habitat, and in Queensland they were being hunted as pests. More than three million koalas were shot in the decade following World War I, before they were finally protected in 1927. The seagirt wildlife stronghold of Kangaroo Island seemed a perfect place to relocate a few, and a group of 18 were released in Flinders Chase National Park.

The island was perfect for koalas because it had no disease, no predators such as dingoes, and a seemingly unlimited supply of manna gumsone of their favorite foods. The operative word is "seemingly." By 1996 the koala population had boomed out of control, stripping the stately century-old gum trees along the rivers and creating a potential environmental nightmare.

The suggestion that 2,000 or so koalas would have to be shot provoked an international uproar. On the other hand, letting them denude the forests until they starved seemed little better.

Relocation was not an easy option. Koalas are exceptionally finicky eaters. Their delicate stomachs can digest the leaves of only about a dozen of the 600-plus species of eucalyptuses. Those grow on well-watered soils along the coastprime real estate for humans. Any small fragments of koala habitat that were left on the mainland were already fully populated by koalas. Instead, it was decided to use fertility controls to keep the population in check. The dominant males got vasectomies, and the females got hormone treatments. Some koalas were relocated to suitable homes. Early hopes that the koala problem was over seem to have been dashed, however, as their numbers continue to rise.

One of the best places to see koalas is the Flinders Chase National Park, or along the Cygnet. River in the eastern half of the island. They can be a little difficult to spot, nestled in the forks of gum trees, because their gray coats meld perfectly with the gray of the bark. Look for an irregular bump when you run your eyes over a likely gum, and slowly a koala will appear.

Kangaroo Island's koala

By: Victor

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