Dozens of koalas have been euthanized and more than 80 have been taken care of after the destruction of an eucalyptus plantation in southern Australia, authorities who launched an investigation said on Monday.
The Victoria Department of the Environment (southern), which described the "incident" as "very distressing," said conservation authorities were investigating the destruction of eucalyptus trees near the coastal city of Portland.
80 koalas injured and hungry
"If it turns out to be a deliberate human act, we expect this body to take swift action against those responsible," said the ministry.
Perpetrators of this type of destruction are subject to heavy fines under legislation to protect wild animals in Australia.
The Ministry of the Environment estimates that around 80 koalas, injured and hungry, were taken care of medically over the weekend, while the rest were euthanized.
"We plan to transfer the remaining animals off the site as long as they are healthy enough to be moved," the ministry said.
A "massacre" for Friends of the Earth
The Friends of the Earth organization described this destruction as a "massacre" and estimated that it dates back to December. The extent of the disaster was revealed in recent days when residents saw dead koalas being piled on by a bulldozer.
The devastating fires in southern and eastern Australia have already destroyed large tracts of forest over the past few months, home to koalas, a "vulnerable" animal whose population is declining dramatically.
Forest Producers Ensure Investigation
The Australian Association of Forest Producers said that an entrepreneur felled trees in November in accordance with the rules for the protection of wild animals and that it was subsequently that the remaining trees were destroyed with a bulldozer.
"We do not yet know who razed the trees with the koalas apparently still inside, but it is absolutely certain that it was not a plantation or a forestry enterprise," the newspaper Nine told the newspaper. executive director of this association, Ross Hampton. Forest producers have committed to conduct their own investigation.
- Koala
- Planet
- biodiversity
- Animals
- Australia