Observe Save the Koala Month Every September
D0 you know why we need Save the Koala Month?
Millions of Koalas lived happily in Australia when Europeans first arrived.
Today fewer than 100,000 remain in the wild.
The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) estimates the number to be between 43,000 and 80,000.
That’s why we need Save the Koala Month.
It’s AKF’s main fundraiser, held every September to help it continue to fund koala protection projects.
As part of this important month there’s also Save the Koala Day on the last Friday in September.
About Koalas
You most likely know koalas live in Australia and eat eucalyptus leaves. But how much else do you know?
There are 4 main populations of koala
These groups of animals live in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.
The South Australian animals are actually descendants of koalas moved there from Victoria. Humans wiped out the original South Australian Koala by hunting them for their fur.
Koalas don’t drink much
The eucalyptus leaves they eat (and the dew on those leaves) give them most of the moisture they need. They will drink from creeks and other water sources when they don’t get enough moisture from the leaves.
Koalas are not bears!
The word koala is believed to come from one of the aboriginal languages and means no drink. European settlers apparently added “bear” to the word because they thought the animals looked like bears. They may even have thought they were bears.
Koalas sleep up to 22 hours a day
But that’s not because they’re lazy. It’s also not because they’re high on eucalyptus leaves.
The leaves are the reason though. Eucalyptus leaves are high in fiber, so it takes a lot of energy to digest them. But they’re low in nutrients, so they don’t provide much energy.
That means koalas use most of the energy they get from their diet to digest that diet. So they just sleep to conserve energy.
Koalas don’t all look the same
When you think of koalas, you probably think of the pudgy, grey guys.
But koalas actually vary quite a bit in color and size.
Their fur comes in various shades of grey and brown. Their weight ranges from about 4 to 15 kg (9 to 33 lb).
In general, the smaller, lighter colored koalas live farther north. Southern populations tend to be darker and heavier.
Koalas are loners
They don’t live in groups or even families. Mothers do bond with their babies. But once the joeys are old enough, they go off on their own.
Koalas can be stinky
The dark spot you sometimes see on a male koala’s chest is a scent gland. It produces a strongly scented—and not very pleasant—secretion. He uses that secretion to mark his presence.
But younger animals and females can sometimes smell a bit like a eucalyptus cough drop!
Why Koalas Need Saving
Short answer:
Because the number of koalas living in the wild keeps dropping.
In just the past 20 years the number of koalas in Queensland has dropped by about 40%. They’re not doing much better in other areas. Some populations number only a few thousand animals.
Long answer:
Human activity, especially in the last hundred years or so, has caused most of the koalas’ problems.
The fur trade decimated koala populations
The fur trade was especially hard on koala populations. During the 1920s, this industry completely wiped out the population in South Australia.
Some animals from Victoria were moved to South Australia to reestablish populations there. But the reintroduction wasn’t handled well. For example, they were introduced to Kangaroo Island, where they had not lived before. Now there’s actually too many there, but still not enough other places.
Habitat destruction takes away their homes and food
Habitat destruction is even worse for the koalas. Instead of killing them directly, it takes away their main food source. So the more eucalyptus trees humans clear for urban development, the harder it is for the koalas to find enough food.
As AKF says: “No tree, no me.”
Climate change adds a double whammy
The atmosphere contains higher CO2 levels than in the past. This causes changes in plants. In eucalyptus trees one of these changes is a lower nutritional value (Remember, they’re not very nutritious to begin with).
So the combination of habitat destruction and climate change means fewer and less nutritious leaves for the koalas to eat.
Bushfires put additional pressure on koala populations. Road accidents and domestic dog attacks injure or kill still more animals.
A Bright Spot: Listing Koalas as Vulnerable
Putting animals on endangered or vulnerable species lists isn’t exactly cause for celebrations. But at the same time, animals need to be on these lists to get protection.
And koalas need protection.
In April 2012 the Australian government officially agreed. It put many koala populations on its vulnerable species list. This included those in Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia. It does not include those in Victoria.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Koala as Vulnerable. The listing notes that climate change is “likely to have severe consequences for this species…”. It also notes that “… the impacts of other threats will magnify over this period …” (The next 20 to 30 years).
But listing is only one step. One of AKF’s main goals is getting a Koala Protection Act passed. This will help protect both the koalas and their habitat
Scroll down for some ideas on observing this worthwhile month.
Ideas for Celebrating Save the Koala Month
Even if you don’t live in Australia, you can help save the koala.
- Follow and share the Australian Koala Foundation’s Facebook page.
- Join the AKF’s Koala Army.
- Learn more about AKF. If you feel they’re a worthwhile organization, consider donating to them. (Remember to always do your due diligence before donating to any cause!)
- Hold a fundraiser and donate the proceeds to AKF.
- Display an AKF donation box at your business or event (only if you’re in Australia).
Australian residents may also want to support the AKF’s Koala Protection Act efforts.
Wherever you live, you can shop the AKF gift shop online! Or visit in person if you’re in Brisbane.
Adopt a Koala … symbolically, of course! You can do this through several different organizations, including these:
- Adopt a Koala from AKF
- Adopt an Animal from the Australia Zoo … you get to choose the animal, and a koala is one of your choices.
If you’d like to learn more about koalas and their history, consider one of these books:
- The Koala: Natural History, Conservation and Management (2nd Edition), by Roger Martin and Kathrine Handasyde
- Koala: A Historical Biography (Australian Natural History Series), by Ann Moyal
- Koala: Origins of an Icon, by Stephen Jackson
Enjoy this video of Imogen, a ridiculously cuddly koala who asks for pets and doesn’t want it to stop! She lives at the Symbio Wildlife Park in NSW, Australia.
[…] Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) started this day as part of its Save the Koala Month campaign every […]
[…] Save the Koala Month: Help the Australian Koala Foundation save the koala. They are currently on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable. Let’s not wait until they become endangered to help! […]