The Australian government plans to spend nearly $35 million within four years to protect koala habitation and to slow down the disappearance of vulnerable species.
According to NBC News, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that "Koalas are one of Australia's most loved and best-recognized icons ... and we are committed to protecting them for generations to come."
The new package will be taking the government's koala investment to more than AU$74 million since 2019 and it will be spent on restoring the habitation, studying the population, and expanding research on koala health.
The number of koalas in wildlife dropped to 100,000 from 330,000 due to wildfires, diseases, and vehicles.
Chlamydia, a bacteria found also in humans has spread among koalas too and affected more than half of the animals in some areas.
According to research by World Wildlife Fund, it is estimated that in 2019 and 2020 more than 60,000 koalas have died, got injured, or been affected in some way by wildfires.
