Last week, the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) announced the addition of two 'Mum and Bub' combos to their Adoption program - Paradise Country duo Kalari and Priyanka, and wild pair Casey and Pip.
Kalari has been a familiar face within the AKF's adoption program for some years now, a popular adoptee with her first joey Mavis who was born in 2021. Now an independent Koala in her own right, Mavis is available to be adopted singularly, and is one of the fluffiest joeys on the roster!
Kalari's newest joey Priyanka has already had her own taste of the limelight, visited earlier in the year by Priyanka Chopra – the Hollywood movie star that inspired her name.
The other pair added to the program are a wild Mum and joey, found recently on a Koala spotting expedition led by the AKF Koala Woman, Deborah Tabart OAM and nicknamed Casey and Pip.
"We were thrilled to find and observe Casey and Pip in their natural habitat," says Tabart. "We were able to see how they interact with each other. Casey was very alert and protective, holding Pip as close as possible, which wasn't easy considering Pip appears to be quite a daring little thing, prone to running off up to taller branches with juicier leaves."
The Australian Koala Foundation's adoption program has been an initiative for nearly thirty years, originally introduced as the Koala Foster program.
"We're so grateful for all of the support from Koala lovers we've received over time for this program, which has continued to thrive across the years," says Tabart. "We're also very thankful to the sanctuaries that nominate their resident Koalas for the Adoption Program. We're constantly receiving beautiful emails and letters from honourary adoption parents across the world who've gone to visit their Koala, and it never ceases to warm my heart.
"Every adoption helps us in our mission to protect wild Koalas and their natural habitat. Right now, we want species-specific legislation; the Koala Protection Act which could give all Koalas in Australia a bright and steady future."
By participating in the Australian Koala Foundation's 'Adopt a Koala' program, supporters receive an adoption certificate to keep, regular updates about their nominated Koala and the AKF's current conservation efforts.
