A conservation group has announced that the cuddly national icon of Australia, the koala bear, is facing extinction. Less than 100,000 remain in the wild, thanks to urbanization and “scorched earth policy” of development, and the Australian Koala Foundation is pressuring the government to take steps to protect it nationally. So far, Environment Minister Ian Campbell has rejected the group's urgent call after a scientific committee advised him koalas were not threatened on a national scale.

”The koala is like the canary in the cage,” [AKF executive director Deborah] Tabart said. “I think you can confidently say there'll be no koalas in 10 years.”

Like opossums, kangaroos and wombats, the koala is a marsupial, which are the freakiest mammals on the planet. If you doubt me, just ask Wikipedia:

The female has two vaginas, both of which open externally through one orifice but lead to different compartments within the uterus. Males usually have a two-pronged penis which corresponds to the females' two vaginas.

Which must make koala porn really kinky. Many people think of koalas as indigenous to Australia, but in fact the original koalas were convicted felons transported to a penal colony in Australia by British hedgehogs.

When asked why she would be so cruel as to take out koalas first, Earth replied, “Shut up. You guys hate me. I mean, ‘scorched earth policy?’ C’mon.” She said that without a serious improvement, the koalas would be followed shortly by polar bears, and then puppies, ducklings, kittens, seals and Dakota Fanning.

Conservation group warns koalas face extinction (Yahoo News)