[ubuntu-in] Koala's yes but not so Karmic (OT)

[Ramnarayan.K]

Hi

Saw an article on the Koala's, the real Koala's and there does not
seem to be anything Karmic about their existence.

For your information:

regards
ram

 BBC NEWS
Koalas 'could face extinction'

Australia's koalas could be wiped out within 30 years unless urgent
action is taken to halt a decline in population, according to
researchers.

They say development, climate change and bushfires have all combined
to send the numbers of wild koalas plummeting.

The Australian Koala Foundation said a recent survey showed the
population could have dropped by more than half in the past six years.

Many have been killed by the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia.

Previous estimates put the number of koalas at more than 100,000 - but
the latest calculations suggest there could now be as few as 43,000.

The foundation collected field data from 1,800 sites and 80,000 trees
to calculate the numbers.
KOALAS UNDER THREAT
# Face 'extinction' within 30 years
# Numbers might have dropped by half
# Staple eucalyptus providing less nutrition
# Threatened by climate, development and sex diseases Source:
Australian Koala Foundation

In one area in northern Queensland estimated to have 20,000 koalas a
decade ago, a team of eight people could not find a single animal in
four days of searching.

The foundation said as well as problems caused by deforestation,
hotter, drier conditions attributed to global warming had reduced the
nutritional value of their staple food, eucalyptus leaves, leading to
malnutrition.

Koalas, which are confined to forests in Australia's east and south,
are notoriously fussy about what types of the leaves they eat.

Foundation chief Deborah Tabart said: "The koalas are missing
everywhere we look. It's really no tree, no me. If you keep cutting
down trees you don't have any koalas."

Death adder

She is hoping the new figures will persuade the government's
Threatened Species Steering Committee (TSSC) to list the koala as
threatened.

But committee chairman Bob Beeton said a decision was not likely until
mid-2010 - and the koala's status as one of the country's favourite
animals would not be a factor.

"There's a number of species which are charismatic and emotionally
charged. We don't consider that," Mr Beeton was reported as saying by
the AFP agency.

"We'd consider the koala with the same level of diligence and
dedication as if it were the death adder."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/8352107.stm