Farmer Fined $34,000 for His Role in Mass Koala Deaths

TOPSHOT - An injured Koala is being treated for burns by a vet at a makeshift field hospital at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park on Kangaroo Island on January 14, 2020. - Hundreds of koalas have been rescued and brought to the park for treatment after bushfires ravaged the island off the south coast of Australia. (Photo by PETER PARKS / AFP) Photo by PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images

An 85-year-old farmer has been handed a $34,000 (US$22,300) fine for his role in the deaths of 74 koalas in Victoria’s southwest.

James Troeth on Feb. 23 pleaded guilty in Warrnambool Magistrates Court to four animal cruelty offences over the land clearing incident in Cape Bridgewater.