Target: Greg Hunt, Minister for the Environment, Australia
Goal: Ban or move loud festival that causes koalas to leave their homes and die.
Scientists believe koalas are dying off in massive numbers because music from a local festival is causing them a great amount of stress. We need to try and ensure this festival is moved or banned in order to save as many koalas as possible.
Twenty koalas died not long after a study was conducted to try and determine how the noise affected them. Another published study revealed koalas living in the area left while the festival was taking place, most likely to find a quieter place to live.
While moving may be a viable solution for many animals, doing so is a dangerous plight for the koala. They risk being attacked by wild dogs, or even by other koalas. In addition, they easily become sick and are more susceptible to catching diseases because the eucalyptus leaves they consume on a daily basis do not provide them with a lot of energy.
Although the people who hold the Byron Bay Bluesfest deny noise from the festival is hurting koalas, they do admit that many of the animals have died as a result of either becoming diseased or because they were attacked by wild dogs, helping to prove the point that koalas encounter several problems and oftentimes die when they move to other locations.
Demand this festival be moved or banned in order to spare the lives of other koalas. If we don’t do something now, they may soon all be extinct.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Minister Hunt,
Scientists believe koalas are dying because noise from the Byron Bay Bluesfest is stressing them out. This festival needs to be moved to a more appropriate location or banned in order to ensure that koalas can continue to thrive.
One study showed that almost all of the koalas that lived near the festival grounds died shortly after it was held. Another study showed that all of the koalas living in a particular area left to find new homes while the festival was taking place.
Unlike many other animals, koalas are not nomadic. Therefore, moving to a new location causes them a great amount of stress. Not only is there a chance that they will be attacked by dogs while trying to relocate, but they may also have adverse encounters with other koalas. Just as bad, their low energy levels as a result of eating eucalyptus leaves makes it so they are much more vulnerable to becoming sick and getting serious diseases whenever those energy levels are rapidly expended. In relation, people who hold the festival purport several koalas have died from wild dog attacks and as a result of being plagued by various diseases, making it highly probable that noise pollution from the festival was the cause of many of the animals’ deaths.
I therefore urge you to support moving or banning this festival in an effort to try and spare other koalas from the same horrible fate. If we do nothing, these beautiful animals will likely continue to quickly die off.
Sincerely,