The conservation group are concerned that if people are allowed to have pet dogs in the 4,500 new homes being built in the King's Forest area in Tweed, Australia, that koalas could be wiped out of the region.

Team Koala president Jenny Hayes says that there are only 140 koalas left in the area, and that dogs are responsible for the decline in numbers.

"We're seeing the demise of our beautiful icon which is tragic and dog attacks play a big part in that," she says.

"The koala is like a little eight-month-old baby walking from tree to tree, it doesn't have any defences.

"If it has a small bite from even a small dog they're not able to survive it. If you look at the horrendous statistics from the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary the survival rates are very low.

"It's not just about the bite, the saliva is so toxic."

Last year the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary treated 40 injured koalas who had been attacked by dogs.

Less than half of koalas who are attacked by dogs survive the attacks. The ones who do survive are left with life-changing injuries.

Koalas are now considered critically endangered in large areas of Australia, which is one step away from extinct.