Sad Koala Loses Home To Loggers; Heartbreaking Photo Shows Koala Looking Confused After Forest Destroyed

There's a koala who has seen better days. A photo of a sad koala standing where his home used to be has gone viral in a matter of days. The koala had wandered back to his home in New South Wales, Australia, only to find that his tree had been cut down and the forest was destroyed by loggers.

The Daily Telegraph reports that a volunteer with WIRES, a rescue operation licensed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, said the koala was standing where his home had been for over an hour and looked confused. The animal was taken by rescue workers to a local vet and then released back into an established koala colony.

In recent years, the koala population has drastically declined due to climate change and urban expansion, resulting in forests of trees being cut down. Last year, the Australian government listed the koala as a threatened species in certain parts of the country for the first time ever. Environment minister Tony Burke placed the koala populations in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory on the endangered species list.

Koalas also suffer from an exclusive diet of eucalyptus leaves, which have become increasingly cleared for urban development. Fatal attacks on koalas by domesticated dogs were also cited as a problem, in addition to koalas crossing rural streets being hit by cars.

"Koalas are an iconic Australian animal and they hold a special place in the community," said Burke. "People have made it very clear to me that they want to make sure the koala is protected for future generations. Koala populations are under serious threat from habitat loss and urban expansion, as well as vehicle strikes, dog attacks, and disease."

The federal government estimates there are around 200,000 remaining koalas, but the Australian Koala Foundation reports that there are less than 100,000.