Koalas, originally only in South Australia's southeast, hunted in the state to extinction for their fur by the 1930s

Although one species, the southern koala (South Australia, Victoria), at left, is bigger and furrier than the northern (Queensland, New South Wales, Queensland), at right.
Images courtesy Orderinchaos and Soozlepip, in line with Creative Commons licensing

Koalas in South Australia, historically only found in the state’s lower southeast region, were thought to be extinct in the state by the 1930s, due to hunting for the fur trade, on top of ealier land clearing.

After extensively hunting of koalas across Australia in the late 1800s to early 1900s, public concern brought some protection when governments introduced laws to protect the koala. In November 1927, the federal government stopped issuing permits that allowed for the export of koala fur and its trade stopped by 1930.

 Between 1923 and 1925, 18 koalas, sourced from French Island in Victoria, were introduced to Flinders Chase national park on Kangaroo Island to conserve the species, considered under threat. These animals were released into an enclosure at Rocky River, within the national park. This population quickly became established and some animals managed to escape from the enclosure. These koalas successfully moved into nearby areas and their numbers rapidly increased.

From 1959 to 1969, koalas from Kangaroo Island were also successfully introduced to other locations in South Australia including the Mount Lofty Ranges, the Riverland and Eyre Peninsula. In 1969, koalas were reintroduced to South Australia’s southeast, their former natural range.

Only one koala species (phascolarctos cinereus) exists but marked visual differences developed in the features of koalas at the northern and southern ends of their range in Australia. Southern koalas were found in South Australia and Victoria, and northern koalas are in Queensland, New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory.

Southern koalas adapted to cooler winters and were much larger in size and had longer fur than their northern counterparts.  The conservation status of southern and northern koalas also became different into the late 20th Century. Northern populations of koalas were listed as ‘vulnerable’ to extinction under the national Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Southern koalas were considered abundant but still faced disease problems.