Almost 700 koalas were reportedly been killed in a mass cull in Australian bushland because of concerns of overpopulation and starvation, local media reported on Wednesday.

The Australian newspaper reported that 686 koalas were culled in Victoria in 2013 and 2014 in response to overpopulation in a woodland in the area and concerns of starvation.

Environment officers captured the koalas and sedated them before being put down, with healthy females released and treated with fertility control hormone implants, the newspaper reported.

To avoid a backlash from locals and environmental activists, the mass extermination was kept secret.

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