Meet the Koala

The Koala - though often colloquially referred to as a bear, they are in fact a marsupial with an exclusive presence on the continent of Australia. EnviroKidz is proud to partner with The Australian Koala Foundation in their efforts to locate and protect these animals. Read on to learn more about koalas and what The Australian Koala Foundation is doing to preserve these animals and keep them in the public and political discourse.

Did you know?

• “Koala” is an aboriginal word meaning “no drink” – koalas get all their hydration from the eucalyptus leaves they eat.
• Koalas sleep up to 20 hours a day and are mostly nocturnal animals.
• Koalas eat so many eucalyptus leaves (over two pounds a day!) that they take on the fragrance of the oil and actually end up smelling like cough drops!
• A newborn koala is the size of a jellybean. The young joey develops in its mother's pouch over the next six months.
• Though koalas spend most of their lives hanging out in trees, they can run as fast as rabbits!

Australian Koala Foundation

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more passionate group of people fighting for rights of Koalas. The Australian Koala Foundation is the principal non-profit, non-government organization dedicated to the conservation and effective management of the wild koala and its habitat. Much of the Australian Koala Foundation’s energy goes towards growing awareness, both in the public and political spheres. The Foundation’s leader, affectionately referred to as the Koala Lady, has been chased down and thanked in airports by tearful koala lovers, and receives a steady stream of letters from optimistic children. Lawmakers are a different story. The Australian Koala Foundation is fighting for a Koala Protection Act that will put the interest of these adorable animals first, but until that happens, they’re determined to speak up for koalas every chance they get.

Our Support

EnviroKidz funding has helped the Australian Koala Foundation map koala habitats across Australia - the only country where you’ll find these nocturnal marsupials. The mapping project has been instrumental not just in finding the notoriously solitary koalas, but in figuring out how to help them. Through the mapping project, researchers have identified 700,000 square miles of especially valuable – and vulnerable – koala territory. Our funding has also helped them establish a koala reserve at Quinlan’s, a hundred acre traditional koala habitat in the Australian outback.

How can you save the koalas?

• Adopt a koala to help support these cuddly creatures in their native habitats.
• Write to your political leaders to share your concern for koalas.
• Host a barbeque or kids games day fundraiser in your backyard.
• Join the Koala Army to help save koalas and secure a Koala Protection Act.
• Enjoy EnviroKidz Koala Crisp cereals and crispy rice bars knowing that 1 per cent of sales goes to support these great programs.

Every time you buy one of Nature’s Path’s EnviroKidz products, 1 per cent of the sales are donated to support endangered species, habitat conservation, and environmental education for kids worldwide. To date, we have raised over $3 million to help our partnering organizations with their educational and protection efforts!

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