Nils Backe 10-7-16 Ms. Curran STW Engineering Paper V2 Summary The koala is one of the many vulnerable species of the world. Most vulnerable species have a negative population trend, and the koala is one of them. The main cause of this negative population growth is habitat eradication. To help halt the decline of this population and to attempt to free the koalas from the title vulnerable, my firm proposes a marooning technique whereby a small population of koalas are relocated to a remote island. These koalas will be able to mate and reproduce regularly, something that is difficult in the wild. My firm is asking for at least a $850,000 grant from the Australian Koala Foundation. Through the aid of my firm s proposed project, a rapid koala population growth will hopefully become a reality. Background Information The koala, or Phascolarctos cinereus, is the iconic animal of Australia. The koala is a marsupial mainly found on the Eastern coast of Australia. This marsupial is categorized as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, which means that the animal will become endangered unless some forceful action is taken (Woinarski & Burbidge, n.d.). Although koalas are harmless to humans; humans hurt koalas immensely. The main problem for the koala population has been habitat destruction and environment disruption. Koalas have suffered ever since humans have begun to populate the Eastern half of Australia. People remove forestry full of eucalyptus trees, the koala s primary food source, near cities to make room for expansion ( Land Clearing, n.d.).
Vehicles also contribute significantly to the vulnerable status of koalas. Each year, more than 4,000 koala casualties occur because of road accidents. The koala population declined by 51% in the last three years, leaving an estimated 60,000 koalas left in the wild (McAlpine & Ellis, 2011). Not enough is being done to try to fix this negative population declivity and as of 2016, there is no national recovery plan. One current conservation technique includes marooning, the relocation of an animal to an isolated place, usually to remote pacific islands. The success of this marooning technique is unknown, as it has not been long enough since the completion of the action to accurately get a reading of effectiveness ( National Koala, 2009). Project Goals The goal of our proposed project is to create a stable population of koalas on a remote and isolated island. I hope to create a community where koalas can live and reproduce without any habitat destruction or harmful motor vehicles. With the elimination of these major threats, my firm hopes that this new koala habitat will show positive population growth capable of compensating for current losses. Project Summary The main idea of my firm s proposed project is to maroon a number of koalas to the isolated Waniban Island, a 4-hectare (0.0154mi 2 ) island in the Pujada Bay near Mati in the Southern Philippines ( Waniban, 2015). Tranquilizers will be used to harmlessly capture the koalas and transport them to the remote island. A tractor trailer truck will be used to transport the tranquilized koalas from the wild to Sydney International Airport. Then, the koalas will be loaded onto a cargo airplane, which will be flown to Mati International Airport in the
Philippines. A different tractor trailer truck will then be used to transport the koalas from Mati International to Cinco Masao Beach Resort. From there a series of boat rides will transport the koalas to Waniban Island. The koalas, now stationed at Waniban Island, will reproduce effectively and live unencumbered by the threats posed by human civilizations Project Design and Costs Stage 1 The first part of this proposed project idea is to safely capture 500 koalas. To do this, a at least one hired professionals will use a tranquilizer gun and needles to secure the mass of animals. To minimize expenses, I have only accounted for the purchase of one tranquilizer gun. One tranquilizer gun will cost $3,995, along with 500 needles that will cost a total of $3,750 at $7.50 per needle. $8000 will then be spent on 500 syringes at $16 each ( Dan Inject, 2016). Therefore, the total amount of money needed for stage one of this project is $15,745. Stage 2 Stage two of our project is the transportation of the koalas to Sydney International Airport. To get the 500 koalas from the wild to Sydney International, a tractor trailer truck will be needed. The volume of a standard 53-foot box trailer is 4091ft 3 ( How Much Does, 2016). The volume of the average koala is about 2.5ft 3 ( What are the inside, 2016). With these numbers, the maximum number of koalas that could fit in the trailer is 1,600, not accounting for individual cage size. 500 koalas in cages can therefore fit comfortably in one 53-foot box trailer. To rent a tractor trailer, the average cost is about $50 per day ( How Much Does, 2016). Another $50 will be sufficient for fuel for the truck to bring the koalas to Sydney International. Because this same process is necessary to bring the koalas from Mati
International Airport in the Philippines to the boat launch site to get to Waniban Island, the price needs to be doubled. The total cost for two tractor trailer trips is $200 plus the cost of the driver(s). Stage 3 Stage three of our firm s proposed project is to transport the koalas from Sydney International to Mati International in a cargo aircraft. The airplane I chose for this is a Boeing 767-300 freighter, which is arguably the best freighter aircraft for the money and range. An approximate lease price for one Boeing 767-300 freighter for one month is $400,000 (Ausick, 2015), and the total empty cargo space is 15,469ft 3 ( Boeing, 2014). To plan a route and determine any specifics, an aeronautical engineer and possibly a civil engineer will be needed. The fuel needed for a Boeing 767 to fly for eight hours, times two, for two legs, is about 100,000 pounds, which is worth $396,000, at $1.98 per pound of jet fuel ( Fuel Prices, n.d.). Including pilot pay, the total amount of money required for stage three is $799,000. Stage 4 Stage four is to transport the 500 koalas from Mati International to Waniban Island. This process is explained in stage two, but the koalas are being driven from Mati International Airport to Cinco Masao beach resort. From Cinco Masao, a boat ride will be provided by the Cinco Masao Resort staff that is ordinarily used for tourists. The powered boat can carry a maximum of 11 or 12 people, so only about 15 koalas can travel to the island at a time ( Waniban, 2015). Transferring 500 koalas to the island could take more than a day, but in order to reduce costs a larger boat will not be rented. Once the koalas are stationed on the island, the nourishment available and stable habitat allows them to live happily and reproduce
effectively. The total cost needed to put this plan into action is $814,945. My firm will be asking for at least $850,000, to cover any unanticipated hindrances that may surface during the transportation of the koalas. Costs Price ($) Quantity Total Price ($) Stage 1 Tranquilizer Gun 3995 1 3995 Needles 7.5 500 3750 Syringes 16 500 8000 Stage 2 Tractor Trailer Truck 50 1 50 Fuel 50 1 50 Stage 3 Lease/month for a Boeing 767-300 freighter 400000 1 400000 Fuel (100,000 pounds) 198000 2 396000 Pilots hired (2) (~20 hours) 75 40 3000 Stage 4 Tractor Trailer Truck 50 1 50 Fuel 50 1 50 Sum ($): 814945 Asking ($): 850000 Who Would Benefit and What Are Some Consequences? The people who would benefit from my firm s project are mainly people who are concerned about koalas. However, what s more significant is the miniscule number of people who are physically affected by this plan. My firm s proposal does not affect humans in any way, because it removes the problem of koala vulnerability from human inhabited lands.
One different initial thought I had was to relocate the koalas to Jaco Island, a small island off the east coast of the peninsular nation of Timor-Leste. This island would have been a good choice, however, there are no eucalyptus trees present on Jaco Island. This would have caused the koalas to suffer, for a healthy food source is not available on the island (Lew, 2014). One consequence of my firm s proposal is overpopulation on Waniban Island. Eventually, if all goes well, the koala population will drastically rise on Waniban Island. With the limited amount of space available on the island, overpopulation can occur rapidly. If this becomes the case, some koalas could be relocated to the nearby Pujada island. Only three miles away, Pujada Island is a much larger island with similar characteristics to Waniban Island. Another possible consequence is the possibility of diseases and sicknesses. Because the koalas are densely packed onto the relatively small Waniban Island, diseases can spread quickly from one koala to another. In conclusion, my firm is asking for $850,000 to cover all of the expenses of our proposed plan. Any extra money my firm has left over after the marooning is complete will be used for any future expenses we may run into, such as further relocate due to overpopulation or for any roadblocks that my firm encounters. This project model can be fitted to any animal in danger where resources required by the animal can be found in a place other than the animal s habitat.
References Ausick, P. (2015, December 19). How Much Does a Boeing 767 Cost? Retrieved September 22, 2016, from http://247wallst.com/aerospace-defense/2015/12/19/how-much-does-aboeing-767-cost/ Boeing 767-300 Freighter [PDF]. (2014, February). Boeing, Inc. Dan Inject Dart Guns and Darts. (2016). Retrieved September 22, 2016, from https://daninjectdartguns.com/ Fuel Prices. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2016, from http://aeroportos.weebly.com/fuelprices.html#.v-r2upmrje4 How Much Does it Cost to Rent or Lease a Semi Truck? (2016). Retrieved September 21, 2016, from http://www.costowl.com/automotive/auto-semi-truck-rent-cost.html Land Clearing & Koalas. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2016, from https://www.savethekoala.com/our-work/land-clearing-koalas Lew, J. (2014, May 23). 10 (almost) deserted islands. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/photos/10-almost-deserted-islands/jacoisland McAlpine, C., & Ellis, B. (2011, May 5). Koala populations continue to decline. Retrieved September 20, 2016, from https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2011/05/koalapopulations-continue-decline National Koala Conservation and Management Strategy 2009-2014. (2009). Retrieved September 22, 2016, from http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/national-koalaconservation-mgt-strategy-2009-2014 Waniban Island: An Unspoiled Paradise - Mati Davao Oriental Travel Guide. (2015, November 15). Retrieved September 22, 2016, from http://www.visit-mati.com/waniban-islandunspoiled-paradise/ What are the inside dimensions of a 53-foot trailer? (2016). Retrieved September 22, 2016, from https://www.reference.com/math/inside-dimensions-53-foot-trailer- 2c2dd0b6ac8b3d8b Woinarski, J., & Burbidge, A. A. (n.d.). Phascolarctos cinereus. September 19, 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-1.rlts.t16892a21960344.en