Island's koalas face sterilization
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Almost 8000 koalas will be sterilized on Australia's Kangaroo Island over the next four years in a bid to protect the native vegetation from being destroyed.
The furry marsupial, which is one of Australia's best known animals, exists on a diet of leaves from a variety of eucalyptus trees.
The South Australian government said on Monday it would spend Aust. $4 million ($3 million) on the program to control koala numbers, which are doubling every five years.
Currently there are 27,000 koalas on the island, a number too large to be supported by the native vegetation, the government said.
South Australian Premier Mike Rann said it was a "matter of urgency" to bring the population under control.
Kangaroo Island is the third largest island off the Australian coast. Located south of Adelaide, the island is known for its pristine natural beauty and isolation.
"Doing nothing would have meant a mass destruction to the pristine environment on Kangaroo Island but also would have ended up with starving and dying koalas," Rann said, according to a report in South Australia's Advertiser newspaper.
"This is the best option -- it's a humane option, but effectively deals with the problem," he said.
However, critics claim it will not do enough to control the population.
Politician Sandra Kanck, leader of minor party the Australian Democrats SA, told the newspaper that the sterilization program was "cruel and ineffectual" and should be replaced by a "humane cull."
The government has ruled out a koala cull and will relocate a number of the koalas to the southeast of South Australia and to other states, including New South Wales.
Koalas are known to be extremely sensitive to changes in the environment and spend close to 20 hours a day sleeping or resting and about four hours feeding. They live to an age of between 10-12 years in the wild.
