Hope springs eternal, hey. Nature will find a way. Sometimes with a little help from humans, which is the least we can do, surely.
The Newcastle Herald ran a front-page headline in October, referring to koalas, which said: "Who's Going To Stand Up For Our Icon".
Aussie Ark, based in the Barrington Tops, is well and truly standing up. The conservation organisation revealed that it had spotted the first koala joey at its sanctuary.
It's been described as a moment of pure joy and a symbol of hope in the wake of the great inferno and amidst the extinction crisis. One might say it's kind of like a much-needed bear hug for the nation.
The joey is part of the pre-existing population of koalas at the sanctuary. Hundreds more koalas are planned to be added to the sanctuary to protect the species.
A Parliamentary inquiry found last year that koalas in NSW were headed for extinction before 2050 without "urgent government intervention".
The Aussie Ark joey was spotted on a nighttime video while on its mum's back, moving between trees.
"As I walked through the sanctuary looking at the thriving habitat, I could not believe my eyes," said Aussie Ark's manager of life sciences Hayley Shute.
"Koalas are so difficult to spot due to their colouration and camouflage against the tall, grey trees. There was, however, a koala that was moving down the tree and easier to see.
"She had a small joey on her back."
She said the joey was "a little ambassador saying that, 'If we're protected in these sanctuaries, we can do really well'.
"We're so excited that we can help protect this amazing species. Koalas need to be protected because there are so many threats stacking up against them."
These "constantly compounding" threats include car strike, habitat destruction, disease, feral predators and fire.
"The animals are getting into smaller and smaller populations in smaller areas," she said.
Aussie Ark will create Koala Ark at the Barrington Tops on various parcels of land - totalling 5750 hectares - to be protected by predator-proof fences.
Homeschooling Schedule
This from Fred Saunders, of Waratah West, sent to him by a niece in Wales where schools remain closed due to COVID-19. 9am (Home Economics) Make a cup of tea for mum. 10am (PE) Do the vacuuming then walk the dog. 11am (Earth Science) Weed the garden. 1pm (Chemistry) Bleach the bathroom. 2pm (Geography) Learn where items thrown around the bedroom actually belong. 3pm (Horticulture) Tend to the veggie patch. 4pm (Science) Learn how hot water and washing-up liquid removes grease from pots and pans. 5pm (Garbology) Take the rubbish out. 6pm (Home Economics) Cook spag-bol and make lamingtons. 8pm (Media Studies) Scroll through Facebook noting the ads that refer to the family discussion over dinner.
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