Koalas are under threat of being wiped out in parts of Queensland and New South Wales, conservation group WWF Australia has warned.
The group is calling on state governments to do more to protect the Australian icon, claiming land clearing was rapidly destroying the mammals' bush habitats.
Dr Martin Taylor, protected areas and conservation science manager at WWF Australia, estimated that nearly 180 koalas died as a result of bushland bulldozing in south east Queensland alone between 2013 and 2015.
"This is really the tip of the iceberg," he said.
"Because we're looking at hundreds of koalas more that are actually admitted to wildlife hospitals," he said.
"There's the immediate effect of destruction of their habitat by bulldozers, but there's also the legacy of that."