As many of you already know koala bears have not been faring well in the Australian bush fires. In fact, a headline made world news stating that they were 80% functionally extinct. However, one of the big and daunting questions I feel must be answered is why do these marsupials struggle in disasters like this? Well first of all, koala bears are extremely slow moving creatures; not nearly as slow as a sloth but fairly comparable. Second, the typically survival instinct of this animal, in the face of danger, is climbing to the top of a tree; we can see how this wouldn’t be beneficial. Aside from the obvious problems, these raging fires are burning food and habitat resources which renders them in a position to adapt or die. These have been some of the worst fires in Australian history – making functional extinction more prevalent unfortunately.