A state environment department says it is "disappointed" that at least two koalas were likely burnt alive during a planned burn in a south-west Victorian national park at the weekend after shocking images of charred koalas were released by Friends of the Earth.
Warning: This article contains images that some readers may find distressing.
Anthony Amis from Friends of the Earth (FOE) documented the aftermath of the burn site at Mount Richmond National Park, which abuts a timber plantation and is 18 kilometres from Portland, near Cape Bridgewater.
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has confirmed that Forest Fire Management Victoria ignited a fuel reduction burn on May 23 across approximately 317 hectares, and that two koalas died as a result.
Mr Amis said he travelled to Mount Richmond after receiving a tip from a local bushwalker which alerted him to the charred bodies of two koalas along Black Waterholes track.
"We saw a dead koala about 10 metres from the road and the area had been absolutely incinerated," Mr Amis said.
The incident has raised questions about how common it is for wildlife to be injured or burnt alive during managed burns, and whether current methods were enough to prevent harm to wild animals that sought refuge in Victoria's national parks.
Mr Amis said he found other koalas that had been burnt but were still alive.
"We found another dead koala, a young male, that had been killed," he said.
DELWP declined to be interviewed but provided a statement about the incident, admitting they were "disappointed" that koalas were killed as a result of the planned burn.
The department said the burn was intended to protect the koala's habitat.
"Expert wildlife officers conduct checks before and after planned burns and are on site during the burn," said the statement from DELWP.
"We are disappointed we did not identify all koalas in this instance and are undertaking a review.
"This week, crews have identified only two deceased koalas and seven healthy koalas in the burn area."
DELWP said that the planned burns were "vital to protect the community and our precious environment", and were intended to protect its manna gums — the primary habitat for koalas in the area — from the negative impacts of coastal wattle.
The department also stated it does check the perimeter prior to ignition and protects trees with koalas in them.
However, FOE's Anthony Amis said he observed large quantities of koala scat underneath the tree where a dead koala lay and that, in his mind, should have alerted the fire officers to the presence of koalas.
DELWP's response to the incident indicated there were several techniques employed that aimed to protect native wildlife, including lighting a burn slowly and working from one end of the burn area to the other.
This would prevent animals from being boxed in and gave them time to move away from the area to unburnt refuge areas.
