Stepping Up for Down Under 🐨🌏

Marsupials, monotremes, and a collaborative legacy NOTES FROM THE FIELD | 2025 | No. 7

Australia’s iconic eucalyptus trees are at the heart of the continent’s unique, vast, and wild landscapes. They make up 75% of the country’s forests, which are home to another Australian icon: koalas. Spending their lives among the trees’ fragrant branches, they’ve adapted to eat mainly eucalyptus leaves, a food source that’s toxic to most other wildlife. Unfortunately, both koalas and the forest ecosystems they rely on are in trouble. Wildfires, deforestation, and habitat loss have taken their toll, and these marsupials are now endangered. To address these increasing challenges, we’re putting a century of partnership and expertise into action. Since 1925, we’ve collaborated with Taronga Conservation Society Australia on koala care and conservation. Together we’re devising long-term, sustainable solutions for these beloved tree-dwellers and their native habitats through our Australian Forest Conservation Hub. Find out how two special little joeys are shaping the future for their species worldwide, and see if you can spot them on your next visit to the San Diego Zoo.

KOALA-TY CARE

ROAD TO RECOVERY Five years ago, the devastating Australian mega wildfires scorched forests and displaced wildlife. Allies like you came together in response to raise over $1 million for koalas and other native species—and that support is still making a difference today. Climb in to discover what you continue to make possible through our Australian Forest Conservation Hub.

FROM THE ASHES

PROTECTING PLATYPUSES Platypuses are famously one-of-a-kind with their furry coats and webbed feet. Yet because of their elusive, nocturnal nature, there’s still much that’s unknown about them. To change this, we’re collaborating with Taronga and their Platypus Rescue HQ, a groundbreaking conservation and emergency rescue center dedicated to protecting these monotremes. Dive in to explore how the safe haven is helping safeguard the future of one of Australia’s unusual icons.

ANSWER THE CALL

TRACING THREATS Koala retrovirus is widespread and poses a serious threat to the future of this endangered species. Using samples from our Wildlife Biodiversity Bank’s Tissue and DNA Bank, we’re creating the largest genomic database of its kind to determine how the virus impacts koalas on a genetic level. This trailblazing project will inform koala conservation strategies for generations to come.

TO THE LAB

Your monthly gift will make a world of difference for wildlife. Friend, your ongoing support makes a lifesaving difference for vulnerable wildlife. As a Wildlife Hero, your monthly gift will fuel conservation efforts as we work together to make a brighter future possible for koalas, platypuses, and other wildlife through our Australian Forest Conservation Hub. Whether we’re finding sustainable solutions or creating a groundbreaking genomic database, you’ll be at the heart of it all. You make it all possible, and we’re forever grateful for you. WILDLIFE HEROES CHANGE THE WORLD.

BE A HERO

DONATE

Your support saves wildlife. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is an international conservation nonprofit and a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID# 95-1648219. With more than 100 years of wildlife care expertise and partnerships around the globe, we are saving, protecting, and caring for species worldwide. Follow along on our mission to save wildlife

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Photo Credit | Koala photo: Ian Brown/Science for Wildlife

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