Home WebMail Friday, November 1, 2024, 11:21 PM | Calgary | -2.1°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Posted: 2019-12-09T01:28:30Z | Updated: 2019-12-09T11:04:06Z

Bushfires have killed more than 2000 koalas and their bodies may never be found, an emergency parliamentary inquiry heard on Monday.

The New South Wales upper house held an urgent hearing into the populations and habitats of the native Australian marsupials to analyse the extent of the devastation from the fires on the states north coast.

Nature Conservation Council ecologist Mark Graham told the inquiry a massive swathe of the known biodiversity hotspot has been wiped out.

We can say without any doubt there will be ongoing declines in koala populations from this point forward, he said.

There is such a big area now that is still on fire and still burning that we will probably never find the bodies.

North East Forest Alliance president and ecologist Dailan Pugh said 2000 koalas may have perished.

Emma Hurst MLC for Animal Justice Party told HuffPost Mondays hearing is a wake up call to recognise that the nation is at crisis point and the government must act immediately.

Critical habitat is being destroyed at an alarming rate and koala populations in New South Wales are edging ever closer to extinction, she said.

Evidence is being given at an emergency Inquiry hearing today in Parliament that over 2000 koalas are now presumed dead due to these mega fires.