May 3 is Wild Koala Day – a Day to Celebrate an Icon of Australia

Koala

Koala Conservation Groups in Australia have declared May 3 Wild Koala Day to build awareness of the need to protect koalas in the wild, and Swain Destinations are a major supporter.

Koala expert Janine Duffy says that everyone loves koalas but many are confused about how to help them.

“Koalas are completely reliant on healthy eucalyptus forest – it is their only food,” said Ms Duffy.

“So helping koalas means helping trees, it's as simple as that,” she said.

“Wild Koala Day will be a celebration of our fluffy-eared, big-nosed icon in the wild, and a shout-out to protect the trees, their home.”

“Luckily for us, Wild Koala Day has a big supporter in Swain Destinations.”

“To celebrate Wild Koala Day, Swain are sponsoring the planting of 10,000 eucalyptus trees near Melbourne, Australia.”

“In ten years, American travellers will be able to see wild koalas in gum-tree forests planted by Swain.”

“This is a great start that will mean a future for a family of koalas.”

“But there are other koala families that still need help – and everyone, no matter where they live, can do something by supporting Wild Koala Day.”

Koala Conservation Groups have compiled a list of ways to help koalas on Wild Koala Day:

• Post/share a picture of a wild koala on social media tagged with #wildKoalaDay.
• Wear a koala Tshirt and post a picture on social media tagged with #wildKoalaDay
• Kids: take your toy koala to school and make them wild by putting them in a tree (make one yourself out of recycled paper, or sticks from your playground or backyard.)

The trees will be planted by the Koala Clancy Foundation, a not for profit started by Echidna Walkabout Nature Tours, one of Swain Destinations favourite tour operators in Australia.

Swain Destinations President Ian Swain is a generous supporter of wildlife conservation all over the world.

“At Swain Destinations, we personalize trips that enrich our clients and leave them with lasting memories of the destination. A big part of that comes from enriching the lives of the people and wildlife in our destinations, as well as maintaining their environments,” he said .

To get involved with Wild Koala Day go to: http://koalaclancyfoundation.org.au/you-can-help/wild-koala-day

* from “Koalas and Tourism: An economic evaluation.” Tor Hundloe & Clive Hamilton 1997:

• 72% of respondents said they wanted to see a koala
• 67% said that nature-based activities were important to them

*charismatic megafauna: large animals with popular appeal, that can be used to achieve subtle and far-reaching biodiversity goals
*flagship species: a species used as the focus of a broader conservation marketing campaign based on its possession of traits that appeal to the target audience

About Janine Duffy

Koala

Janine Duffy has been a wild Koala Researcher for 18 years, specialising in the koala populations near Melbourne. She is also known for her ground breaking and widely-used discovery of a method of identifying koalas by their natural nose markings. She is the founder of social enterprise tour operator Echidna Walkabout Nature Tours and the president of the Koala Clancy Foundation.