... "The size of those will determine the likelihood of the remaining animals being able to persist after the fires." The pandemic, the forest fires, the devastating storms – all feel like a signal from Mother Earth to slow down and reflect on how our activities are hurting her. The koala population is in decline. There are fears that more than half of these koalas have perished and the remaining koalas cannot be removed because of their chlamydia-free status, forcing the government to rescue and treat them on site. What else is making news, sport? Photograph: Adam Mudge/AP On Friday, the federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, said up to … New South Wales has roughly 10 percent of Australia’s total koala population, though estimates of state and national numbers vary because of a lack of surveys. "What generally happens in a fire is the koala climbs right up to the top of the tree and curls into a little ball. Koalas inside a home in Cudlee Creek, South Australia, after being rescued from fires in a garden. "To lose a large part of that population is very devastating. Even before the fires, Australia's koala population was in peril. Koala population at 'tipping point' after Australian bushfire crisis, donations soar amid outpouring of overseas support By Jessica van Vonderen and Rebeka Powell 26/11/2019 But with the recent news of the first koala baby being born, after nearly 85 percent of them were killed in the Australian bushfire, it seems like an indication of a new beginning. Announcing the funding commitment, Environment Minister Sussan Ley said Australia's koala population has taken an "extraordinary hit" in the ongoing bushfires and could be listed as "endangered". Australia’s koala population has taken such an “extraordinary hit” from the wildfires sweeping the country that the marsupial could be classified as endangered in some areas. The Wildlife, Ecosystems and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Taskforce estimates as many as 90 per cent of Kangaroo Island's famous koala population perished in the recent bushfires, with only 5,000 to 10,000 koalas remaining in the area from an original population of about 60,000. Koala populations are in trouble, but this is due to a gradual process of deforestation over many years. Kangaroo Island, which was almost completely destroyed by the fires, houses the majority of the chlamydia-free koala population.