Australian authorities are under fire following the culling¹ of hundreds of koalas in the state of Victoria.

Around 700 koalas have been shot by snipers from helicopters flying over Victoria's Budj Bim National Park, in an act of euthanasia following a devastating³ bushfire that scorched⁴ over 2,000 hectares of habitat.



The fire left many koalas injured, dehydrated, and without food, prompting authorities to initiate⁵ the cull² in early April as a means to prevent further suffering.

Activists⁶ have raised concerns that decisions were being made by veterinarians and shooters from distances of up to 30 meters, increasing the risk of mistakenly killing⁷ healthy koalas—including mothers still caring for their joeys.

The animal protection organization Koala Alliance echoed concerns about vulnerable young joeys potentially being left behind to starve or succumb⁸ to exposure.