Editing Budj Bim National Park (section)

== 2025 bushfires ==
On Sunday, March 9, 2025, a lightning strike ignited a bushfire in the park. As the fire spread, campers and other visitors were asked to leave. The fire was contained a week later. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-10 |title=Relief as week-long bushfire at Budj Bim National Park is finally contained |url=https://www.standard.net.au/story/8912905/bushfire-threat-prompts-budj-bim-park-evacuation/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=www.standard.net.au |language=en-au}}</ref> A few weeks after the fire damaged a significant portion of the park, state government officials decided to euthanise many koalas, believed to be suffering from poor health after the fires, and with a low chance of survival, given that their food source had been decimated. The state hired marksmen to shoot koalas from helicopters; some 700 koalas were eliminated.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Daniel |date=2025-04-25 |title=Huge outcry as Australia shoots 700 koalas from helicopters |url=https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/koala-cull-budj-bim-national-park-australia |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Discover Wildlife |language=en |quote='The fire broke out in a part of the park where there were an estimated 2,000–3,000 animals,' says Friends of the Earth (FoE) Melbourne. 'Some animals have been burnt and injured and do not have access to enough food ... aerial culling of koalas is an Australian first and sets a nasty ethical precedent' and argues that it does not allow for proper health assessments of the adults or to consider the fate of dependent joeys.}}</ref> Once discovered, the aerial culling draw great criticism from wildlife advocates and media attention internationally.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stock |first=Petra |date=2025-04-25 |title=Why were hundreds of koalas shot in an aerial cull in Victoria? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/25/why-were-hundreds-of-koalas-shot-in-an-aerial-cull-in-victoria |access-date=2025-04-25 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |quote=Lisa Palma, chief executive of Wildlife Victoria, says the organisation was 'deeply saddened' by the devastating impact on the koala population due to the fires ... no koala should lose its life without deep consideration and care, and Wildlife Victoria's priority was ensuring that any method of euthanasia the government used after a bushfire was 'humane, instant and has appropriate oversight'. The state government's chief biodiversity officer, James Todd, says the sole objective of the aerial cull was to prevent further suffering in animals affected by the fire, and involved specialist staff working with experienced vets, wildlife carers and animal welfare experts.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-20 |title=Why koalas are being shot dead from helicopters in Australia |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/koala-bear-cull-australia-shooting-victoria-b2736254.html |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> Opponents called for an end to the killing, access to the closed area, and an investigation into the government's opaque decision-making process.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-04-24 |title=Why Australia shot dead hundreds of Koalas from helicopters |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/why-australia-shot-dead-hundreds-of-koalas-from-helicopters/articleshow/120583897.cms |access-date=2025-04-25 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |quote=Animal advocacy groups, including Friends of the Earth Melbourne and Koala Alliance, have condemned the method, calling it cruel and unethical. They argue that evaluating a koala's health from 30 metres above ground is unreliable and may lead to healthy animals and even mothers with joeys being killed unnecessarily. ... Activists are demanding an immediate halt to the cull and are calling for an independent investigation into the government's decision-making process. They are also pushing for wildlife vets and third-party observers to be granted access to assess the situation on the ground. The cordoned-off area remains closed to outside help, increasing suspicions and public pressure on the Victorian government to allow transparency.}}</ref>