The farmer accused of massacring dozens of koalas while bulldozing a blue gum plantation has claimed the animals had already died of starvation. Just weeks after Australia's worst bushfire season killed an estimated 8,000 koalas, another 40 were reportedly killed after the plantation in Portland, Victoria, was bulldozed. But Mr Troath said the number of dead koalas found on the property had been heavily inflated by local activists. Mr Troath said he has been personally impacted by the outrage and overreaction caused online. Local MP for the region Andy Meddick also spoke of his devastation after pictures of the dead koalas emerged on Sunday.

Source: Daily Mail February 03, 2020 02:13 UTC