Protect koalas 媒体英语：保护树袋熊

Phil Mercer, BBC News

Conservationists estimate there are about 100,000 koalas in the wild.

媒体英语会带大家一起学习 BBC 撰稿人在报道世界大事时常用到的单词和短语。

动物保护人士呼吁澳大利亚政府把树袋熊列入国家一级保护动物。自然资源保护主义人士担心由于疾病，气候改变及生态环境的破坏让树袋熊步入绝种的危机。请听BBC记者Phil Mercer的报道。

The number of koalas in Australia is unclear but conservationists estimate there are about 100,000 in the wild.

They believe that the population is continuing to fall because of various threats, including a disease that causes blindness and infertility. The building of homes and roads is also eating away at their habitat.

The Australian government is being urged to declare the koala a threatened or endangered animal. This would give federal authorities the power to protect these furry marsupials from development.

The Environment Minister Tony Burke has asked a panel of experts for more information detailing areas where koala populations are in trouble. He is expected to make a final decision in the next couple of months.