©SDM05011949

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Steven David Miller

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Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) were introduced to South Australia’s Kangaroo Island in the 1920s to secure a decline in numbers due to the fur trade. Currently, numbers have increased to the point they pose a threat to their own environment. A management program keeps numbers down through sterilisation, relocation to the southeast of the mainland, and protection of manna gum trees (koalas favourite food on KI). KI koalas are disease-free.