The cuddly koala is in danger. This lovable animal is now an endangered species. The Australian Koala Foundation believes there are as few as 43,000 left in the wild. Their numbers have been falling due to disease, loss of habitat, bushfires, and other threats. The World Wildlife Fund said: "Koalas have gone from no listing to vulnerable to endangered within a decade." It added that koalas risk "sliding toward extinction". It wanted laws to protect them.

The koala is important for Australia's culture, zoos and economy. Wikipedia says the koala "benefited the national tourism industry by over an estimated billion Australian dollars in 1998". However, efforts to protect the koala have not worked. Australia said there were "many pressures on the koala," and that it is "vulnerable to climate change and to disease". It said recent bushfires that killed thousands of the animals were "a tipping point".