My Furry Friends
After years of me being a huge fan of koalas and following their accounts on IG, I spent almost every day showing Michael photos and clips of them until he became a fan too.
So, Michael and I finally got the chance to support some koalas through e-adoption with Koala Conservation Australia.
They sent us a thank-you certificate in A4 size with my names, along with photos and the names of the koalas we support. I even laminated them because, for me, they are a symbol of my connection with the koalas which makes me feel like I’m a part of their lives.
Before, we adopted a koala named Maria River Road Jan. Sadly, Jan passed away.
Now we are supporting two more: Campbelltown Ella and Campbelltown Benny. They are given the prefix 'Campbelltown' because that is the name of the town where they were found on the street, looking distressed and injured. These koalas sometimes get lost in residential areas, surrounded by dogs, motorcycles, and cars.
When I watch clips of them struggling on IG, I always feel bad. They look so confused. They don’t understand what’s happening. Sometimes I see a mommy koala with a joey walking confused along the street. They probably think their home, that once full of tall trees has turned into roads and traffic. I apologize for being a part of the destruction.
That’s when I first started to fall in love with them and wanted to protect them. They have such a funny yet cute look, with their big black noses, tiny brown eyes, wispy ears and little white chins.
When they’re joeys, they cling and snuggle on their mother’s back all the time. The way they yawn, showing those four tiny white teeth, and the way they sleep is just so adorable. They look like little round furballs. When they reach the juvenile stage, they seem so excited about the world; their eyes are big and wide, and they're full of energy. To them, the world is full of wonders.
As they grow up, male koalas develop a chest gland, a spot on their fur wet with pheromones. I always imagine it would smell like eucalyptus oil. They sing or bellow when they look for a mate; it sounds aggressive, yet it's fascinating and funny to watch them behave that way.
They eat eucalyptus leaves all day whenever they’re awake. They’ll yawn many times before going to sleep, and their teeth turn darker because they don't brush them. Then they wake up to eat, sometimes look for a mate, and go back to sleep again.
Koalas live a slow life. They are quiet, solitary animals. They like staying high up in tall trees; the higher they are, the safer they feel.
One day, I’ll fly there and see them in real life. I think I’ll be overwhelmingly happy that day.
Campbelltown Benny
Campbelltown Ella
