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Despite wide-spread habitat destruction in its native
Australia, the koala’s chances for survival is
greatly increased by successful breeding programs at
reserves and zoological facilities around the world.
As a member of the network of facilities that participate
in breeding programs, Busch Gardens has had many successful
koala births over the years.
Busch Gardens supports the work of the Australian Koala
Foundation, the largest organization in the world devoted
to preserving this species’ habitat and food source.
Busch Gardens’ koala keepers have traveled to Australia
on several occasions to participate in AKF’s data
acquisition trips mapping existing koala habitats and
collecting data to help determine the habitat’s
viability. AKF’s director of research biology,
Stephen S. Phillips, has visited the park over the years
to work with its zoological staff and share research
data and techniques developed in the bush.
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