Koalas and Humans

Koala and Human Relationship

Most humans believe that the Koala is a lovable animal. They also find them to be boring and dumb though. Since the Koala is often immobile and resting for about 18 hours a day there isn’t much of interest to watch with it. Due to the fact that many humans now live in the areas close to the Koalas, there are issues with dogs attacking them. Some humans worry that their dogs will get some type of disease from these bitter battles. If that is the case, you should have your dog vaccinated by your vet as a precaution.

Due to various highways being built through the forests where the Koalas live, there are many deaths and serious injuries that can occur on a regular basis. They occur mainly at night when these animals are out looking for food to consume. They can move quickly and be struck by vehicles.

Some individuals like the idea of having such an exotic animal as a pet. Doing so is illegal in all countries but it still goes on all the time. People are putting themselves at risk by doing this because Koalas can be very aggressive. There are high penalties for those that openly disregard the law and try to house such pets.

In the early 1900’s millions of Koalas were killed in an effort to provide humans with warm coats. The thick fur of the Koalas was ideal due to the look of it and the overall level of warmth that it offered. As trends shifted though the market for this type of coat began to wane. If it had continued most experts believe that humans would have completely wiped out the Koala in order to make a profit.

The Koala though doesn’t seem to contribute much to the way of life for humans or to the ecosystem of animals around them. This is why many people don’t really think twice about cutting down the trees. They want to use that land for farming, for mining, and to build homes on.

Out of sight and out of mind is how many feel about the Koala. What is puzzling is that the government of Australia doesn’t do much for them either. Sure, they have made it illegal to hunt them. However, they don’t strictly enforce those laws so people can continue to kill them and not be penalized for it.

The Koala isn’t any type of threat to humans and there aren’t any reports of people being attacked by them. Yet these animals happen to be in the way of where some humans feel they should get to take over. They are the ones that don’t mind if they destroy these animals forever or not.

A great deal of the land where these animals are found is privately owned. Instead of the government buying it and protecting it, they take the stand that the owner can do what they would like to with it. There are different laws in place for the protection of the Koala based on what part of Australia they live in. All of this is very confusing and it can also be frustrating as their numbers continue to get smaller and smaller.

Many humans love the Koala though and they are involved with various types of conservation to keep them alive. They don’t want to see them lose their habitat or have a hard time finding food. They also don’t like the idea of these animals only being able to survive in captivity. Those that aren’t born in captivity can become very stressed by such a move. As a result they can become ill or they refuse to eat which results in death by starvation.