NOCTURNAL, notoriously tetchy and with claws that could disembowel you in a heartbeat, koalas can seem a curious choice for a national icon.
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Curious it may be, but the enigmatic marsupial still holds a special place in the heart of Aussies.
So news plummeting koala numbers in the region are threatening to see Gunnedah lose the title of “Koala Capital of the World” should be a concern to us all.
The Australian Koala Foundation claims Gunnedah has already lost the title.
“I think you can no longer call yourself the koala capital of the world because you’re not showing enough care with the habitat,” the foundation’s CEO Deborah Tabart bluntly told The Namoi Valley Independent this week.
Meanwhile, John Lemon, one of the nation’s leading koala experts, claims the tree-loving animal is confronting a “perfect environmental catastrophe” in Gunnedah.
The vagaries of nature – drought, disease, heatwaves and bushfire – and the inexorable march of mining in the region were forcing populations north towards Armidale, he said.
Alarmingly, Mr Lemon has gone from seeing up to 12 koalas a week around Gunnedah to not spotting a single one in 14 weeks.
The implications on Gunnedah’s tourist sector – and the town’s identity – are dire.
Yet amid the crisis, the Gunnedah Shire Council stands accused of fiddling while a national treasure burns.
Liverpool Plains Land Management executive officer David Walker criticised council for wilful inaction, saying it had been “sitting on its hands” and “paid lip service” to the issue.
Upbraiding council’s Koala Plan of Management as “mostly incorrect” and “very superficial”, Mr Walker implored it to get serious about stemming the tide of koala deaths and departures.
Councils are facing an unprecedented fiscal squeeze, and throwing limited resources at managing wildlife may seem outside their scope.
But part of council’s charter is to support and foster growth in Gunnedah, and as the self-proclaimed “Koala Capital of the World”, that growth is intrinsically linked to keeping koalas within the shire boundaries.
Unless swift and meaningful action is taken, council might soon find an unwelcome answer to the age-old question “How much can a koala bear?”
