BIO

With a decline in Koala population in southeast Queensland of around 35,000 koalas, it is estimated that around 51% of the population has died in the last 3 years (Henning et al, 2016). According to Burton and Tribe, during 1997-2013 the Koala population began a catastrophic decline in southeast Queensland with majority due to the increase of Chlamydia within the population and habitat destruction. Due to the highly specific diet and habitat requirements, the loss of local forests and an increase in fragmentation has had a large effect on the koala population. Fragmentation can cause an increase in koala movement and can force local populations to cross large areas of cleared land, leading to an elevated mortality rate due to predation and vehicle collisions (Henning et al, 2016). A study found done by (Burton, 2016), showed that 20% of all koalas submitted to wildlife hospitals were caused by motor vehicle accidents and a range of other trauma related deaths such as dog attacks.