An Australian landowner and an earthmoving business face 126 animal cruelty charges apiece in connection with a February 2020 incident that one conservation group dubbed a "koala massacre." CNN reports the individual and company are accused of causing "unreasonable pain or suffering to dozens of koalas," per Victoria state's Conservation Regulator, which didn't name the accused. "They are also charged with destroying koalas which are a protected species." It allegedly happened during a clearing operation at a timber plantation in Cape Bridgewater, where the blue gum trees the koalas lived in were largely taken down, reports the BBC. Some 21 koalas were found dead, some from starvation and others allegedly killed by the bulldozers.
Another 49 wounded, dehydrated, and starving creatures were euthanized. "Techniques such as forensic radiography and pathology were undertaken on all deceased animals discovered on the property to assist in determining when and how the animals died," the head conservation regulator tells Australia's ABC. Koalas are a protected species, and each charge can carry a penalty of an almost $78,000 fine for a business and more than $32,000 or 12 months in jail for an individual. ABC speaks with Helen Oakley, the local resident who first came upon the dead animals while on an evening walk and filmed the scene. "I'm ecstatic, after waiting so long [for charges]—I can't wipe the smile off my face," she said. (More koala stories.)
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