The decline has been especially pronounced over the past five years with the population of the fluffy animals having gone down from an estimated 100,000 to just 40,000.
“At this rate, they will be extinct by 2040,” Ian Darbyshire, CEO of the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife, told HuffPost Australia.
He mentioned urban development as one of the many different reasons for the alarming loss of the koalas’ coastal gum tree habitats.
When they are down on the ground, that's when they are vulnerable, not only from traffic but also from dogs,” Darbyshire explained.
He also pointed to other threats the koalas are facing, including forest fires and climate change, which force the animals to relocate, which appears to be a big problem too.
He said that people should be encouraged to build koala-friendly fences, keep their dogs under control, leave water out for koalas on hot days and make it easier for them to move from yard to yard.
READ MORE: Australian Authorities Kill About 700 Koalas Due to Alleged Overpopulation
“A koala can't live anywhere else on earth. They are animals unique to Australia, and they can't adapt as fast as we are changing the environment around them,” Darbyshire emphasized.
