Land stress hits koalas

KOALA droppings have helped a NSW researcher discover that land clearing is the leading cause of stress for the native marsupial – above vehicles, dog attacks and disease.

Report author Edward Narayan assessed the stress hormone levels in faecal samples from nearly 300 koalas across NSW, South Australia and Queensland from 2012 to 2018.

High levels of stress hormones were found in koalas living in areas with land clearance and those living in areas with previous or ongoing habitat changes, the report says.