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Koalas are native Australian animals that feed mainly on leaves of the eucalyptus tree. The koala is a vulnerable species that has recently experienced sharp population declines. Unfortunately, populations of wild koalas will likely continue to decline due to several serious threats.

First, loss of habitat is one of the main threats to koalas today. Large areas of abundant forest, where koalas traditionally lived, have been cleared for farming and housing. Habitat loss forces koalas into increasingly fragmented patches or small areas of forest surrounded by treeless ground. Because of increased competition for food and its associated stress, fewer koalas are likely to survive in small, separated patches than in one large forest. This loss of connection among habitats, called fragmentation, aggravates the problem of habitat loss by isolating small groups of koalas and cutting their feeding areas into small parts.

Second, automobile collisions present another significant danger to koalas. From time to time koalas leave the places where they normally live to travel in search of new sources of food and water, as well as mates. In their searches koalas move along the ground and cross busy, high speed roads that intersect their habitat. Since koalas can be difficult to see on the road especially at night when they are more active, they are often hit by passing cars.

Finally, fencing is major obstacle to koalas that live in urban areas. In towns and cities, koalas move through backyards or gardens at the back of houses to reach other trees for food. During their movements, koalas that find themselves in fenced-in backyards may be attacked by dogs kept in the backyards. Dogs instinctively treat wild animals as intruders and sometimes attack them to protect their territory. Many koalas are seriously injured in dog attacks every year because they cannot climb over fences fast enough to escape.

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