A.C.N. 010 922 102
Issued: May 24, 2005
Page 1 of 2
The sterilisation and translocation of female koalas on Kangaroo Island will do little to repair the island’s environmental degradation says the Australian Koala
Foundation (AKF), Australia’s largest funding body of koala science in Australia.
The leading non-government body dedicated to the conservation and effective management of wild koalas is encouraged by the recent South Australian
Government’s stance against using culling as a population control but remains firm that sterilisation combined with translocation is yet another band-aid approach to a very large environmental problem.
“Although we applaud the South Australian Government for trying to protect the natural environment on Kangaroo Island the koala is a victim – not the primary cause of eucalypt destruction,” says Deborah Tabart, Executive
Director of the Australian Koala Foundation.
“Koala over browsing and concentrated existence is an indicator of the ecosystem’s deteriorating health. Koalas are just one of the many species suffering in a poorly degraded landscape.”
“Kangaroo Island appears to have a koala population ‘problem’ because the island is suffering from severe habitat fragmentation,” says Deborah. “With much of the landscape cleared for agricultural reasons koala corridors do not exist, preventing the species from naturally dispersing and forcing them to stay in the same pockets of habitat and browse on the same trees.”
Salinity, poor fire management, grazing, logging, farming and edge effects have had a devastating effect on the environmental health of the island – all which have contributed to observed tree deaths.
“It is impossible to suggest that the mass destruction of pristine environment on Kangaroo Island is solely due to the koala wreaking havoc,” says Deborah.
“Until you look at the island holistically, the problems will only get worse.”
“The way forward is not a large scale, expensive and time consuming sterilisation and translocation program but replanting and restoring native habitat.”
“Taking a band-aid approach such as sterilisation to this bigger picture issue will not work and sadly be a waste of valuable environmental dollars.”
Dannie McGill: Public Relations, PH: 02 4232 4988 Mobile: 0415 886 200.

A.C.N. 010 922 102
Issued: May 24, 2005
Page 2 of 2
On other island isolates sterilisation as a management tool has been discontinued as it proved to be unsuccessful, inhumane, costly and difficult to monitor koala health.
“In Victorian sterilisation and translocation programs most of the koalas were found dead just two weeks after they were released into the wild.”
“Moving koalas is not as easy as it sounds and combined with invasive surgery koalas not only have to medically recover but also must adapt to a new environment which increases stress and can cause fatal diseases in the vulnerable species.”
“Without adequate research, monitoring and very experienced staff it is likely that large scale sterilisation and translocation will cause the death and suffering of untold numbers of koalas.”
“The four million dollar injection toward Kangaroo Island’s disintegrating environment is a very positive step forward, however it is time to take a deep breath and look at the environmental problems as a whole and stop blaming koalas who are the last man standing in a poorly degraded environment.”
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Dannie McGill: Public Relations, PH: 02 4232 4988 Mobile: 0415 886 200.