Where does that ladder lead to? Koalas encountering anthropogenic obstacles in an increasingly urbanised habitat

The Koala Phascolarctos cinereus is an Australian marsupial, endangered across its range in Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The greatest threat to the Koala’s long-term survival is the ongoing loss and fragmentation of its habitat, much of which is related to urban expansion and associated anthropogenic activities. A variety of human activities expose individual Koalas to difficult, threatening, and sometimes fatal situations. We explore such situations and some of their impacts by using scientific reports and other relevant forms of media to identify those threats and possible preventative and remedial measures. Results were categorised, tabulated, and their occurrence expressed in percentages. We conclude that while some images and stories of Koalas in compromising situations are attractive to media and other types of reporting, the ongoing and increased occurrence of these sensationalistic approaches, mostly in an urban landscape, is of serious concern and must be considered carefully when planning and designing infrastructure and services. We recommend adopting stronger Koala-safe construction guidelines in areas of high or sensitive Koala populations including constructions that reduce injury or entrapment and increased greater provisions for suitable habitat refugia/corridors in conjunction with improved monitoring and education.