Australia files hundreds of animal cruelty charges over alleged ‘koala massacre’
A landowner and two companies have been hit with hundreds of animal cruelty charges after an alleged “koala massacre” in Australia.
According to authorities, 21 koalas were killed and dozens were injured at a timber plantation in Cape Bridgewater, about 234 miles from Melbourne in the southeast part of the country, in Feb. 2020.
Suffering from a number of maladies, including broken bones and starvation, 49 of the injured koalas were later euthanized, according to Victoria state’s Conservation Regulator.
Koalas are a protected species in Australia.
The incident was described by conservation group Friends of the Earth Australia as a “koala massacre” that exposed the routine destruction caused by the plantation industry in the country.
The landowner and a company that performs earthmoving (the accused were not named) were hit with 126 charges each for causing “unreasonable pain or suffering to dozens of koalas.” A contracting company was hit with allegedly disturbing the koala population.
Bush fires and other cataclysmic events caused by Australia have destroyed koalas natural habitat. The crisis has led to disease spreading among koalas as well. Several Australian states have pushed to designate koalas as an endangered species.
The landowner faces as much as a fine of $32,000 and 12 months in prison for each animal cruelty charge. The companies face $78,000 fines for each charge.
