[warrgazur]

Animals do not necessarily have a ‘purpose’ as they will exploit what they can and be exploited by those that can. Koalas have a niche position in the environment and could be described as being in an evolutionary cal de sac. However, as has already been pointed out, they have been highly successful for a very long time and probably would be around for much longer if their habitat is preserved and wildfires do not become commonplace.

Their success may have been influenced by aboriginal activities, which despite hunting the animal, meant they would probably not have been in large numbers anywhere, but with the aboriginal fire management and mosaic burning, would have been assisted by a reduced likelihood of wildfire. To me, this type of situation would seem to be an ideal model for population control and animal health.