Heartbreaking moment koala watches on as developers flatten his home
- Picture shows koala watch its home destroyed for new road
- Population of koalas in region of Coomera, Gold Coast depleting
The moment a koala watches on as developers clear his habitat has been captured in a heartbreaking photo.
The image taken by wildlife rescuer Amy Wregg shows the endangered marsupial in an exposed gum tree on the Gold Coast as workers clear land below for a highway project.
The 45km Coomera Connector development is being funded by the federal and Queensland governments and will stretch from Loganholme and Coomera.
‘This is what progress looks like, this poor koala is sitting in what is soon to be Coomera Connector clearing looking back at what used to be his home,’ Ms Wregg wrote.
‘Yes he is wearing a tracker but that won’t stop him from being hit by a car trying to cross back to his old home.
‘There should have been a better solution, we are not doing enough to save them other than fast track their extinction.’
The moment a koala watches on as developers clear his habitat has been captured in a heartbreaking photo
The image uploaded to Facebook by wildlife rescuer Amy Wregg, shows the endangered marsupial in an exposed gum tree on the Gold Coast as workers clear land below for a highway project
When the next stage of the plan goes ahead, the koala population on the side of the road where the koala was seen, will need to be rehomed.
Social media users were outraged by Ms Wregg’s picture, saying the situation is just heartbreaking.
‘Gosh. What have we done,’ one person said.
‘It’s terrible, just heartbreaking,’ another added.
While a third commented: ‘Absolutely heartbreaking’.
Around 500 koalas lived in Coomera on the Gold Coast in 2018 but their habitat continues to dwindle to make way for new developments.
The 45km Coomera Connector development is being funded by the federal and state governments and will stretch from Loganholme and Coomera
Trees have been replaced by housing and retail outlets including Westfield, McDonald’s, KFC, Taco Bell, a Toyota dealership and Woolworths.
Koalas were declared endangered in 2022 but at that time most of the developments were already approved and underway.
With a decline in the herbivorous marsupial’s home, conservationists are predicting the iconic Aussie creature will soon become extinct on the Gold Coast before 2025.
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