Koala
The cute koala is one of the world's most recognisable animals.
They love to lounge around all day eating eucalyptus leaves. Koalas
need special bacteria in their stomach to break down the tough
leaves. They aren't born with this bacteria so mum introduces it to
the joey by producing a paste called 'pap' which the joey eats.
Despite its bearlike looks it's not a bear at all. It's called a
marsupial, which means the koala gives birth to live young, but
they're still undeveloped and need to live in Mum's pouch and drink
as much milk as they can until they are big enough to start eating
leaves.
Koalas have suffered major loss of habitat since European
settlement, and some populations are in serious decline. Large
scale clearing of eucalypt forests as well as domestic dog attacks,
feral animals, bushfires, disease and road accidents are all
responsible for the decline of the species. Australian Wildlife
Conservancy (AWC) protects these endangered animals at Curramore
and Mount Zero-Taravale, two wildlife sanctuaries in
Queensland.
What can you do to help?
- Be a responsible pet owner - know where your dogs and cats are
at all times and keep them under control
- Take care on the roads, particularly in known koala areas where
you see koala road signs
- Get involved with 'Plant a Tree' days
- You could approach your local minister and find out what they
are doing to help protect koalas
- Donate to key koala and wildlife conservation funds such as AKF
and AWC
All of these activities, along with the generous support from
the public and government can work towards making sure Australia's
koala population does not become extinct.
Click here
for info on getting your photo taken with our koalas!
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