In 2013, the koala population in the Australian province of Victoria increased so much that food is now scarce. The trees of the rod-shaped gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) were eaten completely bare and mostly died. In order to save many koalas from starvation, 70 percent of the population were killed as a precautionary measure on behalf of the Australian government.
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Koalas are picky about food
Koalas are extremely picky about what they eat . Even the animals that were starving did not eat from other trees. The reason: Not every eucalyptus species is equally digestible for every koala. Although the messmate gum (Eucalyptus obliqua) was plentiful, numerous koalas rejected it. According to the report by the BMC specialist journal , researchers therefore suspect that koalas cannot change their diet because their intestinal flora cannot adapt to the new food.
Other animal droppings save lives
However, to save the lives of the animals, scientists developed acid-resistant capsules filled with microorganisms from the feces of other animals . These were given to the koalas. The result : the organisms modified the intestines in such a way that the animals were now able to digest messmate eucalyptus. However, the treatment did not work equally well in all animals, which is why researchers are now looking for the reasons.
In the future, these capsules will be used again when the animals are resettled in areas rich in food. Because especially in the north-east of Australia the koala populations are endangered and in other regions are already extinct.
