What do Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Putin, Prince Charles and Mariah Carey all have in common?

 

They’ve all been snapped with an Australian icon – our cuddly koalas! …and it’s not only A-listers getting in on the action.

75% of tourists returning home after being in Australia noted “that they hoped to see a koala when making the decision to come to Australia, and 70% … reported that they had actually seen one.” ¹

Cute? Tick! Cuddly? Tick! Reason people come to Australia? Tick! Potentially extinct within our lifetime and sooner than you think … tick!? Hold on …. Rewind, what?!

Yes you read that last bit right. After an insightful meeting with Deborah Tabart,OAM who is CEO of the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF), it became alarmingly clear to me that if koalas keep declining at the rate they have been, there will be no more wild koalas not only for future generations, but within our generation, and possibly sooner than you think. Despite being listed as a vulnerable species under the 2012 Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act, there is no Koala Protection Act and industry is still free to destroy habitat critical to the survival of the koala without any consideration.

Here at I Still Call Australia Home we believe in an Australia that sustainably supports and actively manages the unique environment our beautiful country offers – including the koala’s natural habitat. We support the work the AKF does to save the koala by donating $1 from every hamper sold to them.

If you would like to stop taking koalas for granted and help save their homes, click here to adopt one, or join the Koala Army today for free.

After all – who will the celebrities get a photo-opportunity cuddle with after our furry friends are gone? While Putin might like it, somehow crocodiles don’t quite fit the bill.

Note: (1) Koalas and Tourism: An Economic Evaluation Tor Hundloe Clive Hamilton with contributions from Leanne Wilks Number 13 July 1997