Celebrate Save the Koala Day the Last Friday in September
On the last Friday in September we celebrate Save the Koala Day!
And who wouldn’t want to save these adorable little furballs?
They’re all soft and cuddly and … Ok, no. Koalas aren’t necessarily very cuddly. But they are an important part of the Australian wildlife. And they’re in danger of disappearing.
The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) started this day as part of its Save the Koala Month campaign every September.
The Foundation’s goal is to save the wild koalas by saving and managing their habitat. It uses its annual campaign to raise both awareness of the threat to the koalas and funds to continue the fight.
AKF started life as Australian Koala Association Inc in 1986, created by two veterinary scientists.
A Bit About Koalas and Their Future
There may be fewer than 80,000 wild koalas left in Australia.
And like a lot of animals, it’s our fault. Yes, human activity makes the koala’s future bleak indeed.
As far back as the 1980s we’ve known that habitat destruction was threatening koalas’ survival.
Yet we’re still doing it.
What exactly are we doing? We’re chopping down eucalyptus plants to make room for ourselves. And why is this a problem? Because eucalyptus is the koala’s main food source. It’s also their main home.
So we’re starving them and making them homeless. That makes it really hard for them to survive.
The AKF is trying to stop this. One way it’s trying to do this is by urging legislators to pass a Koala Protection Act, focused on protecting the koala’s habitat.
You may already know that koalas are marsupials, which means their babies are born very early and finish developing in mom’s pouch.
But did you know a male koala has a scent gland in the middle of his chest? He rubs it on his trees to mark them as his own. This gland can make mature male koalas kind of stinky!
Koalas also have an excellent sense of smell. This helps them recognize the marked trees. And just as importantly, it helps them recognize different kinds of eucalyptus leaves and how much toxin is in them (apparently toxin levels go up and down even in the same plant. It’s important to avoid leaves with too much).
Koalas have fingerprints, just like humans (well, not exactly like, but really similar!), and also just like humans, each koala’s fingerprints are unique.
Oh, and they’re not koala bears, they’re just koalas. But they’re utterly adorable by any name.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficial koality holiday.
How to Celebrate Save the Koala Day
If you can donate to the cause or volunteer your time, consider doing so. Of course, research any organization before donating to be sure it uses its resources in a way you agree with.
If you can’t do that, help spread the word about Save the Koalas Day.
Like the Australian Koala Foundation on Facebook, and share their posts.
Then learn more about koalas. The Australian Koala Foundation’s website has a whole section about koalas, including where they live, interesting facts, and more.
You might also be interested in one of these books about koalas:
- Koala: A Historical Biography (Australian Natural History Series), by Ann Moyal
- Koala: Origins of an Icon, by Stephen Jackson
- The Koala: Natural History, Conservation and Management (2nd Edition), by Roger Martin and Kathrine Handasyde
Get the kids involved (kids love koalas!):
- National Geographic Kids’ Koala page has bite-size chunks of koala information.
- Mother Natured suggests 8 Activities for Save the Koala Month. We totally love the idea of learning to bellow like a koala (#2).
- Koala crafts are fun, and DLTK’s Koala Crafts and Activities page has paper crafts, a wreath, and coloring pages.
- Australian Animal Crafts on Activity Village links to instructions for a Koala pencil topper, mask and an origami koala. Fun!
Books for kids:
- Jimmy the Joey: The True Story of an Amazing Koala Rescue: The story of an orphaned joey raised in a koala hospital until he could return to the wild. Recommended for ages 4-8 years.
- Koala Hospital (Wildlife Rescue), by Suzi Eszterhas: Take a look inside a koala rescue center in Australia. Recommended for ages 7-10 years.
- The Koala Book, by Ann Sharp: Beautiful photos and tons of information. Recommended for ages 4 and up. Based on the reviews, adults will like it too!
- Koala: Children’s Book of Fun Facts & Amazing Photos, by Ina Felix: Recommended for ages 3-7.
If you happen to actually live in Australia, well, you can probably find Save the Koala Day events near you.
If you’re in or near Brisbane and haven’t yet visited the Australian Koala Foundation’s gift shop (opened in 2014), stop in. We hear it’s a koala-lover’s paradise.
You can also visit the Save the Koala Shop online. They ship all over the world!
And finally, watch a baby koala checking out the leaves.
[…] part of this important month there’s also Save the Koala Day on the last Friday in […]
I’ve found and reported 2 dead koalas in a similar spot in the M1 over the past 2 years… what can be done to reduce road fatalities? I can’t understand why there isn’t already koala signs
This makes me sad. Unfortunately we’re US-based & can’t really offer much advice. You might want to check out the Australian Koala Foundations website to see what they’re doing, although they seem to be focusing more on protecting habitat. But they do have multiple projects going.
And there is a petition asking NSW to do more to stop the problem with road fatalities. It doesn’t seem like much, but sometimes if enough people make their voices heard governments finally decide to do something.
[…] Save the Koala Day: Much like the elephants we celebrated on the 22nd, koala populations have been victims of human activity. And now they need a different kind of human activity to help protect and save them. Learn how for this day. […]
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