Koalas are one of the most adorable looking animals on the planet. Their fluffy ears, leathery black noses, and their cute little mouths make them feel like a Disney character come to life.
However, their existence can often be tough in the harsh weather conditions of Australia.
Not only can this leave them looking much less cute than they normally do, but it can also pose a huge risk to their lives and the future of their species.
If you have a love for koalas and are looking for ways to help support them, you may have wondered whether you can adopt one from Australia. In this article, we will look at whether you can and what steps to take to do so.
Can I Adopt A Koala From Australia?
The short answer to this question is, yes you can. For obvious reasons, you cannot adopt a koala in the same way that you adopt a dog or a cat. You cannot physically bring the koala to your home and keep it as a pet.
This might seem like a good idea and a great way to expand your furry family, however, koalas are wild animals that are not suited to domestic living(see also: What Animals Live In Arizona?). They also carry a lot of diseases, some of which can be transmitted to humans.
Instead of physically adopting a koala, you can adopt one in the same way that you would adopt a tiger or a panda, by sponsoring it and its care and conservation efforts around it.
Why Do Koalas Need Adopting?
It is no secret that the Australian climate and rural environment can be incredibly harsh and brutal to survive in. This is also true for native animals such as koalas.
While these marsupials are designed to survive in their Australian habitat, there are external factors that can affect their health and survival.
Wildfires are the most common external factors that have a disastrous effect on koalas’ habitat and survival. Every summer, as the temperature creeps up, wildfires break out across Australia, posing a threat to life.
While human occupants of affected areas are able to evacuate their homes and move to a safer location, the same cannot be said for wildlife such as koalas.
Oftentimes, when wildfires spread throughout koalas’ habitat, the koalas are stuck and have to endure the fire, finding shelter or places where they can climb out of harm’s way.
Once the fires have been extinguished or have burned out the koalas are left, injured, hungry, dehydrated, and even with smoke inhalation.
All of this leads to the koalas needing specialist care from trained professionals. This is where adopting a koala can help them to recover and be released back into the wild.
How Adopting A Koala Can Help
When you adopt or sponsor a koala from Australia you are contributing to the care, rehabilitation, and conservation of your koala.
This gives organizations such as koala hospitals all over Australia the resources that they need to help the koalas in their care.
Adopting a koala means that whichever organization has assumed responsibility for the koala has extra resources to help rehabilitate the koala for re release into the wild.
It also means that if the koala is unable to be rereleased into the wild, the organization can better cover the costs of the lifelong care that the animal needs.
How To Adopt A Koala From Australia
The easiest way to adopt a koala from Australia is via the website of a koala hospital or rescue center that allows you to adopt the koalas that are currently in their care.
A lot of koala adoptions happen around the wildfire season as the plight of these animals is in the news worldwide more than other times of the year.
This means that there will be plenty of koalas to choose from. Below, we have outlined the steps to adopting a koala from Australia.
Visit Trustworthy Website
The first step in your adoption journey is to find a website that is trustworthy. Finding a reputable website will ensure that the money that you are giving will actually benefit the koala you are adopting.
It is best to find the website of a koala hospital or rescue in Australia.
There are a few different koala rescues that allow you to adopt a koala, one of the most popular and trusted organizations is the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.
Select Your Koala
Once you have chosen your organization, you can select the koala that you would like to adopt. If you are adopting during the wildfire season, there will be an abundance of koalas to choose from.
Many of them will not look like the fluffy koalas that you are used to seeing in their pictures. This is especially true if they have been rescued from a fire.
This can be upsetting, but it can be extra rewarding to see them progress through their recovery and get healthy and happy again.
Select Your Support Package
Once you have decided on the koala that you wish to adopt, you will be able to select the package that you want to commit to.
There are often between two and three package options to choose from which depend on where you are adopting from. International adoption is the most expensive option due to shipping costs.
You can also opt for an e-adoption pack which is a little cheaper and allows you to download a PDF of your adoption certificate.
Receive Your Pack
With the international adoption package, you will receive an adoption pack that comes with multiple things. You will get a laminated adoption certificate which has a picture of the koala that you chose and your name as the adopter.
You will also receive the story of your chosen koala to help you understand what your koala has been through and the extent of its recovery journey.
You will also receive a koala hospital bookmark, an information booklet, and a copy of the koala hospital’s “Gum Tips” magazine which tells you all about their work and information about koalas.
Alternatives To Adopting A Koala
Adopting a koala can be expensive, especially if you are adopting from outside Australia. This means that it can be an unattainable good deed for many people.
However, this doesn’t mean that there is nothing you can do to help koalas in need from outside Australia.
Go Fund Me
There are many Go Fund Me pages that are set up every year by various charities and koala hospitals that allow people from all over the world to donate whatever they can afford to help rescue and rehabilitate koalas.
This can be a great option if you are unable to afford an adoption but still want to do something to help out.
WWF Donation Page
The WWF also has a donation page where you can donate a monetary amount that fits your budget. There is no upper or lower limit to what you can donate so even if you can only afford a dollar, it can help.
This is a great option for anyone who is somewhat dubious about the legitimacy of many Go Fund Me pages. The WWF is a registered charity that is regularly audited and its spending of donations is closely monitored.
This means that you can be sure that your money is going to help the koalas.
Final Thoughts
Adopting a koala from Australia is surprisingly easy if not a little expensive. However, there are many options that can make it more affordable.
Alternatively, you can help koalas by donating to organizations that rescue and rehabilitate them.
Hi, I’m Olivia Kepner and I am a zookeeper here in San Diego. Since I was a young girl I have always been fascinated by animals and species across the globe.
I used to beg my parents to take me to our local zoo every single weekend. Well, I say local – it was more like a two hour drive away. But they took me as much as they could, allowing me to fall in love with the animals again and again.
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