Non-Fiction

Koalas – The True Aussie Battler

Mikayla Murray – Year 8

Image credit: https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=212540&picture=koala-bears

Koala preservation is incredibly important. Many animals are threatened, but the Koala is particularly vulnerable – their numbers are decreasing over time. In the wake of the Black Summer bushfires, the koala population numbers have dropped dangerously. If we do not take any action, koalas in the wild could be extinct by 2050. That is in just 30 years! Other big threats to Koalas include, traffic accidents, dog attacks, and most of all, habitat loss. The building of new residential areas is happening so often and in so many places. Lots of these places are koala habitats. When their home gets bulldozed, they are homeless and must look for another. They can be hit by a car in the act or suffer attacks by a domestic animal. And, if clearing of land gets any worse, Koalas may have nowhere to go. 

So, we need to do something, before it is too late. But what can ordinary people change in their day-to-day life to help these animals? A few ways could be to help with the bushfire victims, or taking a step towards stopping land clearing? Joining the, Australian Koala Foundation, is another great way to help. You do not have to be an important politician or an experienced animal conservationist to help keep these animals from becoming extinct in the future. Things we can do now to preserve the koala include, donating, even just a small sum of money will make a difference; fundraising, setting up a stall of your secondhand clothes and giving the money to a koala conservation centre or company will be an awesome way to give these animals a second chance. There is so much more you can do for these animals if you stick to it! 

If you are interested further in preserving Koalas, consider books by the experts. Real-life accounts from conservationists and experts are interesting and can change your way of thinking about these wonderful creatures. Flames of Extinction, by John Pickrell, is a new book and a great one, focusing on the way koalas, and other endangered Australian animals were affected in the recent Black Summer Bushfires. The 99th Koala, by Kailas Wild, is about a man who travels to Kangaroo Island to help rescue starving and burnt koalas from trees on the island, that suffered terribly from the bushfires. You can also look at the Australian Koala Foundation website, and their Koala Protection Act. 

Preservation of these species is immensely important over the next few years. It would be terrible if there were no Koalas left in the wild, and you could only see them in zoos. Our country thrives on our unique animals and landmarks, and koalas not being there, would be change for the worse. As residential buildings take over our country, where will beauty be found? Where would the animals go? It does not take much to help a species thrive, and it is lucky that we have that opportunity to help, right on our doorstep.  

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