Mercy killing is a difficult concept to stomach, especially when the animals are as adorable as koalas. Unfortunately, nearly 700 koalas were killed by authorities in Australia after they were found to be in extremely poor health due to starvation. Rampant overpopulation has plagued the koala population for years, and the government is facing accusations of poor management of the threatened species.
So, why are the koalas starving? In southeastern Australia, the koala population has exploded in recent years, leading to an overwhelming increase in competition for food and other resources. Koalas eat (and get their hydration from) eucalyptus trees, and there quite simply is just not enough food to sustain the population.
This mass killing measure was not a population control attempt, but rather a method for putting suffering koalas out of their misery. Officials have yet to determine the best course of action for managing the ever-growing population of koalas, but they’re working on it…….
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