Koala Bear

Although the Australian government does not consider the Koala bear to be threatened, the U.S. government has declared the Koala bear as a threatened species.

The main reason why the Koala bear is considered threatened is because of the number of Koala bears left in the wild. Some study say that there are only about 80,000 koala bears left in the wild while other studies (such as the one conducted by the Australian Koala Foundation) estimate about 100,000 koala bears left in the wild.

The threat started back in the early 20th century when the Koala bear was hunted almost to extinction. Studies show that millions of furs were traded to Europe and the United States and the population of the Koala bear has not fully recovered even after many decades. Today, like many other animals, the Koala bear’s habitat is being threatened by urbanization. Another problem that lie in the Koala bear colonies is chlamydia. Although there are other diseases that harm these animals, in recent years, cases of chlamydia has risen by many folds.

Today, the Koala bear is being protected by the Australian Koala Foundation-the principal organization dedicated to the conservation of the Koala bear and its habitat.