Koala Bears are in Danger

Everyone knows and loves the koala bear, but how many people have actually seen them in their natural habitat. Other than seeing them in the zoo, they are hard to spot in the wild of Australia. These cute Australian bears are in danger of becoming endangered species. The number of koala bears are decreasing and it seems to be because of global warming. Scientists estimate Australia’s koala population at somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000. "We cannot be totally sure because we don't receive enough public subsidies to thoroughly study the subject. But it is clear that the number is dropping," says Alistair Melzer, a senior researcher at Queensland University. The tree-dwelling animals suffer from heat waves and drought, which are most likely becoming more frequent because of climate change. The bears can’t cope with even higher temperatures, nor can they survive without the eucalyptus leaves. The higher temperatures are killing off eucalyptus trees and taking any moisture out of the eucalyptus leaves. Higher levels of C02 in the atmosphere are decreasing the nutritional value of the eucalyptus leaves as well. "If climate-change predictions play out, koala bears won't migrate to the south, where temperatures are lower. As a result, they will just die," says Melzer. It is time the koala bear is listed as endangered specie because scientists believe that this bear could become extent in the next few decades. The warming climate is killing off the koala’s main source of food. It seems that like the penguin, the koala bear is heavily affected by the current climate change and may not be around much longer.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2077431,00.html