Hundreds of koalas have been killed in secret by wildlife officials in Victoria due to concerns over starvation in a key habitat . The Victorian government euthanised 686 koalas at Cape Otway , about 230km southwest of Melbourne , in 2013 and 2014 in response to overpopulation in manna gum woodlands in the area . The koalas , many of which were starving , were killed via lethal injection after being captured in trees . Animal activists are furious and have condemned the government for their 'cruel ' treatment of koalas and questioned why the program was conducted in secret . Hundreds of koalas have been killed in secret by wildlife officials in Victoria due to concerns over starvation . The Victorian government euthanised 686 koalas at Cape Otway , about 230km southwest of Melbourne . During three separate operations , veterinarians captured and sedated koalas to assess their health . Koalas suffering starvation were euthanised , while healthy koalas were released back into the wild and healthy females were treated with control hormone implants . The cull is said to have occurred in secret to avoid a backlash from activists and locals . Australian Koala Foundation chief Deborah Tabart OAM said she had heard rumours that koalas were being killed but had never had proof until now . ' I want somebody charged , ' Ms Tabart said . 'The Australian government over my whole career has said there will never be a cull in Australia ever . 'It 's cruel and mean to koalas and pays no respect for the role they play in tourism - how dare they treat this animal with that sort of level of disrespect . Australian Koala Foundation chief Deborah Tabart OAM questioned why the program was conducted in secret . 'And if they are so proud of what they were doing why was it done in secret ? ' Koala expert Dr Desley Whisson , who advised the government on the euthanasia program , said that the objective was to humanely deal with suffering koalas rather than reduce population size . Ms Tabart said more should have been done in previous years to stop the problem from escalating . 'Watching an animal starve to death is a horrible thing , ' Dr Whisson , from Deakin University , told Daily Mail Australia . 'For every one koala that was euthanised there were probably two or three that starved without intervention . 'It at least was a good thing to put them out of their misery . ' Dr Whisson said moving the population to other areas or conducting fertility control programs were expensive options . ' A lot of people ask why we ca n't just move the koalas somewhere else , but I think it 's important to recognise the translocation koalas often has a negative impact , ' she said . ' A large number would die , and they do n't want to move from manna gum . 'It 's sort of a lose-lose situation all round . ' Dr Whisson said the problem in the manna gum woodland at Cape Otway was caused after koalas were introduced to the area in the 1980s from French Island . 'Manna gum is a very good food source for koalas , it 's low in toxins and high in nutrients so koalas love it , ' she said . 'To the point where they do n't move for the food supply . 'Koalas can move one or two kilometres in a night but in this population , they stay in these manna gum areas and numbers build up . ' Ms Tabart said more should have been done in previous years to prevent the problem from escalating . The problem in the manna gum woodland at Cape Otway was caused after koalas were introduced to the area in the 1980s from French Island . The koalas , many of which were starving , were killed via lethal injection after being captured in tree . 'Instead of doing this why did n't they plant trees all those years ago ? ' she said . 'They could have taken young ones out and relocated them . 'They 've done nothing – they 've watched until the problem becomes immense and then gone `` Oh we better do something let 's kill them . '' 'It 's easy to say we had to put them out of their misery – they should n't have got to that misery in first place . ' At Cape Otway there are up to 11 koalas per hectare , but the sustainable density is less than one koala per hectare . The cull is said to have occurred in secret to avoid a backlash from activists and locals . Koala expert Dr Desley Whisson , who advised the government on the euthanasia program , stressed that the objective was to humanely deal with suffering koalas rather than reduce population size . Victorian Environment Minister Lisa Neville said she was putting in place a koala management program to deal with the ' a very challenging and complex issue ' . 'It is clear it 's an overpopulation issue and it is clear that we have had koalas suffer in that Cape Otway area because of ill health and starvation , ' Ms Neville told ABC . 'That 's just not good enough and that 's a terrible way to treat koalas . ' I 'm wanting to make sure that we 're taking the best action we can in this terrible situation of overpopulation . ' I do n't want to see koalas suffer . ' The koala is listed as 'vulnerable ' in New South Wales , Queensland and the ACT and as 'rare ' in South Australia but it has no official listing in Victoria .
Hundreds of koalas have been killed in secret by wildlife officials . The koalas were culled near Cape Otway , Victoria in 2013 and 2014 . The animals were euthanised in response to overpopulation in manna gum woodlands in the area , 11 koalas southwest of Melbourne . Animal activists are furious and have slammed the government .