According to BBC, dozens of koalas were either killed or injured due to logging activities in a timber plantation at Victoria, Australia.
Only a handful survived
The blue gum tree is a natural habitat for the koalas and many of them have been harvested since December to the point where only a few remain.Since the koalas have lost their homes, some have been brutally killed or injured by the bulldozers while others were found dead on top of the remaining trees after suffering from starvation.
Only 80 koalas reportedly survived the ordeal before being rescued and cared for.
However, 30 koalas had to be put down due to the severe injuries sustained.
The Victorian environment minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, told the news site on Monday that the event was “devastating” for the koala population in the Portland region and pledged the government would do “everything possible” to bring the perpetrators to account.
Friends, there is a distressing situation unfolding in Victoria and it has nothing to do with bushfires. Heartbreaking photos of injured and dead koalas from a razed Bluegum Plantation in Portland are circulating across social media. [thread] pic.twitter.com/vLOz0WH1xt
— Animals Australia (@AnimalsAus) February 1, 2020
Animal protection group Animals Australia shared heartbreaking photos of the massacre site where dozens of dead koalas were found.
Netizens were outraged with the incident and hopes that the preparator will be persecuted soon.
Following the bushfire incident that killed one billion animals, koalas have been listed as a ‘vulnerable’ species by the Australian Environment Ministry.