[Sadly, this is very common: Deforestation in Australia killing and mutilating koalas – Loggers say finding dead koalas is ‘like a daily thing, sometimes a couple every hour’ –Des] By Stephen Messenger
4 February 2015 (The Dodo) – A distressing new video shows a gum tree being felled by loggers while a koala and her baby are still clinging to it. The incident took place in late January in a logging area in Bessiebelle, Australia. The area is operated by the nation’s largest woodchip exporter, Australian Bluegum Plantations (ABP), whose work there has been halted as a result. A representative from ABP told The Standard that the company employs koala spotters to make sure that trees are uninhabited before they are chopped down, and said that these particular animals were overlooked as a result of “human error.” Fortunately, the koalas are believed to have survived the fall, but that has done little to quell anger over what some are calling “blatant disregard” for the animals’ welfare. [more]

Loggers Chop Down Tree With Koala Family Still In It A distressing new video shows a gum tree being felled by loggers while a koala and her baby are still clinging to it. Late January 2015: Mother koala and baby in a bluegum plantation near Bessiebelle in South West Victoria. The plantation is owned by Australian Bluegum Plantations. The Contractors are C3 Australia. The plantation is certified by Forest Stewardship Council. Hundreds of koalas are reported to be living in plantations in the local area. How many more will be injured or killed? Photo: Anthony Amis / YouTube

2 February 2015 (YouTube) – Late January 2015: Mother Koala and Baby in a bluegum plantation near Bessiebelle in South West Victoria. The plantation is owned by Australian Bluegum Plantations. The Contractors are C3 Australia. The plantation is certified by Forest Stewardship Council. Hundreds of koalas are reported to be living in plantations in the local area. How many more will be injured or killed? See this report by Friends of the Earth for more information: Victorian Koala Issues, Plantations and Forest Stewardship Council Certification 2000 – 2014 [pdf].

Jan 2015: Bluegum Plantation Logging and Koalas