An online petition calling for koalas to be introduced to New Zealand has gone viral on the internet, and thousands of New Zealanders have signed it in an attempt to bring the koala species to a new home away from the devastating bushfires in Australia.
The petition claims that New Zealand is close to Australia and has a similar climate, as well as plenty of eucalyptus trees, which are the major source of food for koalas. Hence, it is possible for koalas to thrive in the country.
A baby koala in a tree.
However, experts are cooling the zeal of these animal lovers.
Experts pointed out that introducing an exotic species to a new habitat may cause a series of problems that will greatly affect local species and the entire ecosystem, as the new species may be invasive.
A koala chews eucalyptus leaves.
Besides, koalas are very "picky" eaters. Whether they choose eucalyptus leaves depends on the amount of nutrition and toxins in the leaves, which means despite New Zealand's thousands of hectares of eucalyptus trees, the animal may only find a few that meet its high standards. Therefore, relocating koalas to New Zealand is probably not a good idea.
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