19 April 2025

Hundreds of koalas killed in south west Victoria

Update 25/4/25: Locals are informing us that shooters have been shooting from helicopters at Budj Bim all week, meaning that hundreds more koalas have been killed this week. They are constantly hearing shots one after the other. Locals are also saying that the fire wasn't a hot burn and that the fire was patchy and that there are alot of trees that weren't burnt.

SKAT got a call from a local media outlet early this week about koala deaths in south western Victoria. Unfortunately we were unable to help. Our limited capacity is concentrated on the Strzelecki region.

On Tuesday April 15, YahooNews broke the story that between 600-700 koalas had been 'euthanised' in Budj Bim National Park after a bush fire was started by a lightning strike. DEECA (Department of Energy Environment and Climate Action) made a decision that due to fire, overpopulation, drought and lack of post-fire food that they would shoot surviving koalas from helicopters. This is the first time that koalas have been killed by shooting from helicopter in Australia. Aerial culling of koalas is an Australian first and sets a nasty ethical precedent. This is the latest koala horror story from a region that has recorded a number of koala culling events over the past two decades. Locals have informed FoE that the entire area is a complete no go zone, with roads blocked off and cameras set up to record number plates.

View over Budj Bim looking west. The area where the helicopters are operating at Budj Bim are supposedly the areas burnt.

A young koala in a bluegum plantation.

As of April 16, 700+ koalas have already been killed over two weeks, but over 2,000 have been assessed. Alot more koalas are likely to be shot. Health assessments have to be made from the air, but how accurate are these assessments? No koala rescuers have been allowed into the area and there is a concern about the fate of joeys whose mothers may have been shot. The "kill-rate" of the shot animals is also unknown. Are animals left to die in agony after being shot?

Animal health is determined from the air with a vet looking at the health of koalas from a distance as close as 30 metres. Two government-contracted helicopters have been spotted flying over the national park this week, and more koalas are set to be shot in the coming days. DEECA is arguing that because Budj Bim is an old volcano there is very rocky terrain that makes on the ground access is difficult. DEECA claim that only 13% of the recently burnt area can be accessed on ground.

Emergency Victoria map highlighting 2199 hectares of land that was burnt in recent bushfires at the 5470 hectare Budj Bim National Park. Approximately one third* of the park has been burnt. The fire broke out in a part of the park where 2000-3000 animals were estimated. Some animals have been burnt, injured and have not access to enough food. (*the actual amount burnt is probably closer to 20% as not all of the area within the burns map was burnt).

Budj Bim fire 2019/2020 (in deep red colour): Source

A larger fire occurred at Budj Bim in December 2019/January 2020, when 6369 hectares of the park and surrounds was burnt (289% more than was burnt in 2025). A backburn apparently added to the problems. The 2019/20 burnt more koala habitat than the recent fires, yet helicopter culling was not deployed in 2019/20 and koala numbers were not estimated to be anywhere near the numbers culled in 2025. More than 200 koalas were assessed after those fires. How many were killed? (58 koalas were also euthanised at Budj Bim in 2022). Where have the influx of koalas from 2020 come from? Hundreds of hectares of bluegums growing near Budj Bim have been cleared this year alone.

April 2025: Image of entrance to Budj Bim National Park. Source Yahoo News

The location of Budj Bim in south west Victoria. Hundreds of hectares of Bluegum plantations have been felled over the past few years in close proximity to Budj Bim. How many of displaced animals from these plantations have ended up in Budj Bim?

Same shot in December 1997 before the bluegum plantations were established

Budj Bim has had overpopulation issues for 20-30 years. Surgical sterilisation first occurred in 2000, but the practice was soon stopped due to high mortality levels of 90%. In 2004 hormone implants were started and by 2006 2,450 females had the implant treatment. Overpopulation issues were also problematic at Tower Hill and Framlingham State Forests in the 1980's and 1990's.

These problems were occurring in koala populations before the widespread introduction of bluegum plantations into the region in 1996/97. The Bluegum plantations have definitely added fuel to the fire in terms of numbers of koalas in the south west. Locals are reporting recent clearfelling of hundreds of hectares of bluegum plantations in recent months, with hundreds of animals being displaced. Many animals have moved into Budj Bim since the logging and since the 2019/2020 fires.

Typical scene one year after clearfelling a bluegum plantation near Budj Bim. Where did the koalas in this plantation end up?

SKAT will attempt to keep people up to speed with this disaster as more information comes to hand.

SKAT is a volunteer collective at Friends of the Earth. Donations are always appreciated.

1=Budj Bim, 2=Koala Massacre Site (Bridgewater), 3=Alcoa Aluminium Smelter, 4=Framlingham, 5=Cape Otway, 6=Tower Hill

Koala Mass Impact Timeline South West Victoria 1996-2025

(note that there have been thousands of koalas impacted by bluegum logging and associated displacement since 2012).

April 2025: Budj Bim ~1100 koalas culled after 2199 ha bushfire. Shot from helicopter

December 2022: Budj Bim 34 females fertility controlled, 28 animals euthanised

June 2022: 13 koalas found dead inside a Bluegum plantation near Hamilton. Office of Conservation Regulator investigates

May 2022: Budj Bim 125 koalas captured. 49 healthy females fertility controlled. 30 euthanised.

February 2020: Cape Bridgewater: 21 koalas killed, 49 euthanised (200 koalas impacted). Farmer clearing native vegetation

December 2019/January 2020: 6369ha of land burnt at Budj Bim. 200 animals 'assessed'

2019 - 2023: 152 koalas euthanised near Alcoa Portland, aluminium smelter

October 2018: 200 koalas were removed from Framlingham and translocated to other forests

2015 - 2021: 190 koalas euthanised at Cape Otway

2015: January 2015: Bessiebelle footage shows plantation logging a tree when koala is in it. Footage gains international media.

2014: Friends of the Earth/Rainforest Alliance publish "Victorian Koala Issues, Plantations and Forest
Stewardship Council Certification 2000 – 2014"

2013 - 2014: 686 koalas culled at Cape Otway because of overpopulation issues

2013 July: 7.30 airs footage of mass koala fatalities from bluegum plantation logging in South West Victoria and South East South Australia

2012: Bluegum logging commences south of Budj Bim at Bessibelle, 14 years after planting. Logging rotations near Budj Bim commence.

2009: Collapse of Managed Investment Scheme Bluegum plantation companies

2007: Framlingham fire. DSE records show 147 injured Koalas were rescued by volunteers (wildlife carers say that the number was 365); a DSE debriefing with veterinarians suggests up to 450 surviving Koalas were removed over six weeks post fire. There were reports of many animals killed by the fire, although there are no details available on the actual number

2005: More bluegums planted west of Macarthur 4km north east of Budj Bim, Orford and Condah South. Expansion of bluegums near Budj Bim ceases after several thousand hectares established..

2004: More bluegums planted near Knebsworth 5-6km north of Budj Bim and Orford 10km south east of Budj Bim

2003: Several hundred hectares of blue gum planted in very close promxity to Budj Bim at Lake Condah

2004-2006: Mount Eccles/Budj Bim sterlisation program. 2450 females were implanted. A large-scale trial of the efficacy of hormone implants at the population level

2002: 1528 koalas translocated from Mount Eccles/Budj Bim

2001: New bluegums targeting Knebsworth and Byaduk areas (north of Budj Bim)

2001: 1193 koalas translocated from Mount Eccles/Budj Bim

2000: Sterilisation at Mt Eccles/Budj Bim begins. Surgical sterilisation of females, by transection and bipolar cautery of the distal oviduct was initiated. The practice was abandoned due to high mortality. 683 koalas translocated from Mount Eccles/Budj Bim

2000: Surge in blue gum plantations occur south (3000ha) and (~1500ha) north of Budj Bim. ~1500ha established near Macarthur, and 500ha estabished to the west side of Budj Bim. Protests against bluegum company Timbercorp occur in Melbourne in April by Friends of the Earth against killing red tail black cockatoo habitat.

1999: 850 koalas translocated from Mount Eccles/Budj Bim

1999: First plantings of blue gum plantations occur within 6km south of Budj Bim at Bessiebelle and Homerton. ~900 hectares planted by Timbercorp. Several hundred hectares established on border of Budj Bim.

1998: 1087 Koalas were captured at Framlingham, the males sterilised and animals translocated to other suitable habitats in western Victoria. (59 animals were translocated from Framlingham in 1996 and another 130 translocated in 1999).

1997: "A six-year field trial of subdermal implants containing either the synthetic progestin levonorgestrel, or low doses of oestradiol, applied to female Koalas, began at Tower Hill Game Reserve in 1997. 386 koalas translocated from Tower Hill between 1996-98.

1996: The Australian and State Government endorse the 2020 Vision, a trebling of Australia's plantation base. This eventually led to widespread bluegum plantations throughout south west Victoria. 1996 also marked the start of widespread translocations from south west Victorian areas.