Koala Gardens Patrons’ Top 10 Reasons to Save Koalas – Reason 9
This is their home
Koalas have been here for millions of years. Palaeontology records show that koalas, or at least their ancestors, were around 25-45 million years ago. That’s a very long time!
Many millions of years ago Australia and Antarctica separated from the landmass known as Gondwanaland. Then, around 45 Million years ago, the landmass that is now Australia began to drift away from Antarctica. The separation took a long time. However, the further north the landmass of Australia drifted, the more temperate it’s climate became. This influenced the different evolution of distinct flora and fauna.
The oldest known koala-like fossils have been dated at around 25 million years old. Whereas we, as Homo sapiens, evolved around 200,000 years ago in Africa.
Humans started to separate from other primates around 2 million years ago. This means the koala predates man by tens of millions of years. I think that gives them more rights than us!
When we look at a koala, we should feel awe at how perfectly adapted they are to the eco-system they are part of. Unlike humans, they have not changed much in a very long time. Australia’s First Nations people are one of the oldest civilizations known, with their ancestry stretching back around 75,000 years.
First Nations people and the koala
First Nations people revered the koala and the land. Each Nation and people developed a deep understanding of the eco-system they lived in, becoming part of it.
When the first European settlers arrived in Australia in 1778, they could hardly believe what a paradise they found. They thought it was just ‘lucky’ that the land was so fertile and beautiful.
They had no idea that the First Nations people had been landscaping and husbanding the land and its resources all that time.
The ‘lucky’ country wasn’t luck, it was good custodianship!
It is shocking how much destruction and change has occurred in the years since the invaders’ arrival. Nothing looks the same and nothing works the way it once did. Older civilizations that were connected to the land behaved very differently, not just in Australia, but in other parts of the world too.
Might does not make right – yet too often it ends up winning and making the decisions.
It is an important to know that things were going along beautifully, in a balanced way until the scales were not just tipped, but basically thrown off a cliff.
Progress – really?
Join the Colony and get involved
You can become part of the Koala Gardens Colony by adopting one of the resident wild koalas. You can also become a Patron, and one level has an adoption option.
Come and discuss Koala Gardens and all things koala on Discord where we hold lots of interesting and often in-depth discussions there. Lots of fun!
You will become part of the family and help provide much needed koala habitat.
You can also follow Katrina and the Koalas on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Koala Gardens publishes a small number of delightful illustrated children’s books in the The Adventures of Mist series. Check out the beautifully engaging and educational design. Our mission is to help children to “Fall in love with Nature”.
You can even find some great Koala Gardens gifts over at Redbubble where there is huge range of designs on an even bigger range of items.
Alternatively, you can find quick access links to everything Koala Gardens via Link Tree.
Come take a walk on the wild side with Katrina and experience a Wild Koala Tour at Koala Gardens
