1. You have a koala population in the early 1900s that almost becomes extinct because there are no laws to protect wildlife.
2. Some nice conservationists come up with a plan. They move 20 koalas to a island off Melbourne to save them from extinction. They multiply because they don't have natural predators.
3. All of a sudden they have too many koalas, so they move them back to the mainland in 1980 where I am.
4. Now it's 2013 and the koala population is out of control. They have no natural predators and they are a protected species.
5. They are eating every mana gum tree in sight. Everyone is upset because they are losing all their trees and the koalas keep multiplying. The trees are dying and the koalas are losing their food source, but remember they are a protected species.
Who is to blame here?
Think about it. What would you do if you were in charge?
I think I might plant some trees in a new habitat, and move koalas there, also I would make the new habitat suitable for the koalas. -Ella Abbott
ReplyDeleteElla - planting new trees in more areas is a good idea and that is one thing that the scientist that we were working with is doing!
DeleteInstead of putting the koalas and joeys in a zoo, I would like to create a safe, secured area where trees can constantly be planted and koalas and joeys will have a consistant source of food. -Logan Ledger
ReplyDeleteI agree, but there are over 4,000 koalas in the Cape Otway area alone. In Australia there are about 500,00 koalas. Birth control implants and sterilization might be an option, but that costs money and the government is not willing to pay.
DeleteI would take the koala's predator and have it reproduce. Then I would put them into the wild where the koalas are and have the predators decimate the overpopulation of koalas.- Corbin Vaicek
ReplyDeleteCorbin, dingos are their natural predators and the farmers here do not want them here as they eat their sheep and cattle.
DeleteI would take the koalas and maybe put them in a place where it has little human population and make a suitable environment for the koalas to live in. -Lexi Davin
ReplyDeleteLexi - Now you are thinking. Australia is a big country, but koalas produce a lot of babies. There has to be a better way. Keep thinking.
DeleteWell, I think you are in a tricky situation in which, one could be destroyed and the other cannot, or vise-versa. I think people have to realize that in the future if they don't act fast then it would end up being in a situation in which, there are no longer any trees or koalas. I would first find a suitable environment, and then safely move the koalas away from the people and into this environment where they are not disturbed by the major lack of trees. -Audrey Nourse
ReplyDeleteAudrey, Thank you for your thoughtful answer. Koalas do not relocate easily. Even though they are cute, they can be very stubborn. They really like the mana gum trees they are in and if they are moved sometimes the stress of moving will kill them. But I agree, at least some would adapt and survive.
DeleteI would overpopulate a lot of an area with the trees they eat as well as bring a few of their hunters to slightly lower the population. There would be enough trees that the group of trees would last long enough for new trees to grow back in with leaves.
ReplyDeleteJohn, trees take time to grow, but mana gum trees do grow pretty quickly. The problem is the koala population is way too big to be able to survive in the amount of trees right now. The problem is right now...dying trees because the koalas are stripping them of their leaves and way too many koalas. The problem is immediate, but we do need to think about long range planning.
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ReplyDeleteIf I were to be put in charge of handling this koala situation, I would first introduce predators to the island that would hunt koalas and limit there population. Next I would put the koalas back on the island, and make sure that they have the proper nutrients and conditions to have them reproduce steadily. To keep the predator population underhand, I would make sure that it was a non-protected species that could be hunted. I would charge people to hunt on the island for this predator, and use the profits to help reforest the koalas' original habitat.
ReplyDeleteWow, Luke, you really thought this through. The koalas that were left on French Island have been managed very well and they do not have any more problems. The koalas in the Cape Otway forest are the animals that need better management. The ones on French Island have had birth control implants placed in them that last six years. These little animals are very prolific so that is quite helpful. The only natural predator of the koala is the dingo and the farmers around here don't want them here, because they eat their sheep and cattle. Putting them in a fenced area would be great, but there are over 500,000 koalas in Australia. Keep thinking - there has to be a solution!
DeleteI think that it would be best if we let nature take its course and not take any action. My reasoning is that koala population will go up, eucalyptus tree population will go down, then the koala population will go down with it. Eventually the eucalyptus population will grow back. Then there will be a balance of koalas and eucalyptus trees. I think we should only intervene if the koalas (or eucalyptus trees) are very near extinction.
ReplyDeleteEamon, I agree with you. Human intervention is not always the best!
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