Koalas have been deemed functionally extinct

The Australian Koala Foundation has confirmed that the koala is functionally extinct. With only 80,000 koalas left in the wild, the foundation has determined that there aren’t enough left to support a new generation. The term “functionally extinct” means that the koala no longer has any effect on its environment and that any genetic disease or pathogen that may come along would effectively end the species all together. Climate change and deforestation are being blamed for the koala’s decline. Heat waves have caused thousands of koalas to die of dehydration and deforestation has wiped out the koala in 41 of the 128 Federal environments where they are known to live.