Koalas are fighting a battle for their very survival. They have been for a while, because of disease and deforestation – their habitat has been destroyed by people for their own purposes for "development" - roads, buildings, mining companies, development, etc - and their habitats have been destroyed by wildfires.
The 27th September is Save the Koala Day and the amazing country music sensation and Koala ambassador Andy Penkow has joined forces with the Australian Koala Foundation to bring you "Heavy on Me". The song encourages us all to stand up and speak for the animals who have no voice. You can listen to "Heavy on Me" here.
So how can you help koalas?
Wherever you are in the world, there is something you can do.
1. Join in the mission to help koalas
Become familiar with the mission and goals of koala charities and see what you can do to help them fulfil their mission to help koalas and save their habitat. For instance, the Koala Clancy Foundationis looking to plant 300,000 trees by 2030 and save koalas of the You Yangs in Victoria. Groups can make a difference! Find out more about three achievements here with fundraising, koalas having been seen in a new planting area, and 11,374 trees having been planted!
2. Know what’s going on
Many charities have newsletters you can subscribe to, so that you can keep in touch with news, updates, events and appeals. Follow them on social media too. Retweet, share, like – share that you care. Why not tag local politicians to show them that you care about koalas? The Koala Clancy Foundationhas a membership scheme too, as does Bangalow Koalas
3. Give koalas some habitat - Plant a tree
Koalas (and lots of other wildlife) need trees and the right habitat if they are to survive and thrive. Many koala conservation charities planting trees and have tree planting days you can volunteer for, or you can donate to plant a tree. Save the Koala enable you to do this in memory of someone or as a gift or simply for yourself.
Businesses, why not have a team building day helping with a tree planting? This could be great PR for your comapny and give employees something meaningful and different to do.
Landowners can work with local koala organisations to enable them to protect land already frequented by koalas and other wildlife. Some habitats will need restoring so that they are suitable again for koalas.
6. Be a voice for koalas
You can shout out for koalas and raise awareness of the challenges they face and how people can help on social media. Help get the word out about how you can help, what needs to be done, the help koalas need.
7. Be political!
Join in and raise awareness amongst politicians and local community organisations, showing them that people DO care about koalas and wildlife and want to preserve them. Look to see what campaigns koala charities are running and how you can get involved and give them your support. The Australian Koala Foundation has a letter you can send to a politician. They’ve got a Koala Manifesto, and please Support the Koala Protection Act. Get in touch with politicians and tell them you care. Ask them to help save the koala.
8. Join the Koala Army
The Koala Army was set up by the Australian Koala Foundation – they have all the resources you’ll need to fly the flag for koalas, including a battle plan!
Many koala charities need help from volunteers in all sorts of ways, from practical help and support with activities such as tree planting days, or fundraising or helping with office work. Some have volunteer opportunities for people from outside Australia, too! More hands makes for light work, as the saying goes! Save the Koala is one charity with volunteer opportunities, and international volunteers could volunteer at the Koala Hospital (that’s Port Macquarie and surrounds, New South Wales) – they also have local volunteers. Friends of the Koala also have opportunities for volunteering, for locals, inter-state and international koala lovers. The Koala Clancy Foundation have koala conservation days for local people and they also have corporate tree planting days.
10. Donate to support koala charities in their missions
Simply donate if you can – koala charities will have all sorts of needs depending on what they are focusing on. Some may need funds to help care for koalas bought in to rescue, whilst others will be looking for funds to help them plant trees or even run a campaign.
You can make a straight donation, or donate to an appeal; but you could also do something as a gift for a loved one, such as making a donation on their behalf, or adopting a koala. Save the Koalahas an adoption scheme, as does the Koala Hospital
You could also donate to vaccinate a koala. One of the things koalas really get hit hard by is Koala chlamydia - Friends of the Koala say 60% of the koalas who come into their hospital have this disease and 7 out of 10 don't make it, so it is well worth vaccinating them. They are looking to raise $75,000 and vaccinate all the koalas they release into the wild. Find out more here.
10. Make a note of dates for your diary
Wild Koala Day is on 3rd May every year, whilstSave the Koala Month runs in September. There are always lots of events taking place so these events are a great opportunity to spread the word about the challenges facing koalas and ways to get involved in helping them.
Finally, we can all be more environmentally friendly in life. The Australian Koala Foundation pointed out that there are 8 billion of us on this planet. If every single person did one small thing for the planet – that would be 8 billion people making a small change or doing something to make a difference. That would add up to quite an incredible effort!
Please think about wildlife at home and when you’re out and about You could leave water out for wildlife in your garden so that they have something to drink, especially when temperatures are at their hottest.
The wildfires mean exhausting and heart-breaking work for all those people who are discovering koalas, dead or alive. Koalas climb trees in a wildfire. If they climb high enough, the fire may pass below them. But wildfires are devastating for trees. Consequently many koalas have died, and many more have been burnt, thirsty and all sorts of injuries. The people helping koalas need to know we are all behind them and support their efforts, heart-breaking though they must be. Koalas are very particular about the trees they eat, so it is all the more devastating for them when these trees are destroyed in fire. Find out more here about some of the impact of the 2019 bushfires in Australia.
Please do what you can to give them that support and help people help koalas and restore their habitat.
