San Diego Zoo Global Commits to Protecting Critically Important Koala Population

San Diego Zoo Global Commits to Protecting Critically Important Koala Population –

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Researchers supported by San Diego Zoo Global are getting ready to go into the Blue Mountains region of Australia to look for koalas, in the wake of the wildfires that recently spread through the area. The Blue Mountains World Heritage Region is home to the most genetically diverse population of koalas in the world, and San Diego Zoo Global is committing resources to ensure that the population is recovered. Mega-fires raced through the region over the last few weeks, devastating more than 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares) of habitat and threatening wildlife.

“We have been working in this area for many years now, tracking koalas to learn about them and to assess their population numbers,” said Kellie Leigh, Ph.D., researcher with San Diego Zoo Global and executive director of Science for Wildlife. “The population of koalas in the Blue Mountains have high levels of genetic diversity. This makes this particular population very important for the survival of the species.”

Due to the tall trees and rugged terrain of the area, visual observation of koalas in the region was not feasible. Since 2015, researchers have used an innovative radio-tagging approach to track individual koalas. As the wildfire threatened the area, Leigh and volunteers with Science for Wildlife were able to quickly locate 12 koalas, removing them from the area to the Taronga Zoo, where they could be protected until the crisis had passed.

Full story: http://sdzoo.com/Australia“>http://sdzoo.com/Australia

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