Make a home for Clancy Koala!

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Clancy the Koala needs a weed-free home in the wild and our guests are helping him and all his friends!

On the Koalas & Kangaroos IN THE WILD tour travellers get an opportunity to make a home for him this year. It is an ambitious project. It will take the removal of 5,000 Boneseed plants every year to create, and maintain, his home. But we think it's possible - with your help!

Boneseed is an invasive weed, introduced to Australia. After a terrible bushfire in the You Yangs, Boneseed spread rapidly throughout the Park and now covers large areas of otherwise suitable koala habitat. In 7 years of wild koala research in the You Yangs, we have noted that koalas rarely use areas thickly infested with Boneseed. By removing thick infestations of this weed, we will create more homes for koalas. We estimate that 5,000 weeds removed = 1 new koala home.
Echidna Walkabout, with the help of our guests, hope to create one new koala home every year.
KOALA CONSERVATION STATUS: Wild koalas in Australia are under threat from climate change, loss of habitat, drought and bushfire. Their conservation status is listed as Vulnerable in 3 states. In the You Yangs from 2009 to 2011 wild koala number halved due to drought. Immediate, dramatic action is required to protect them.
ABOUT CLANCY: Clancy is a young male koala, living wild in the You Yangs Regional Park near Melbourne. He is special because Echidna Walkabout Guides & Researchers have known him since he was born. He is the second son of Pat, one of our most frequently-seen koalas, and she too has been part of our Koala Research Project since she was a tiny joey.
Clancy was born in April/May 2010 and lived with his mother and grandmother until January 2012, when he was around 20 months old. Then, like most young males, he left the safety and comfort of his mother's home area and struck out to find himself a home.
Independence is a tough time for young male koalas. At 20 months they are not fully grown. Bigger, stronger, more experienced males dominate most of the suitable habitats and they don't welcome young rivals. In addition, with the growing threat of climate change, formerly-good habitats for koalas are becoming less suitable, and invasive weeds are further degrading what habitat remains.

Also we have a Facebook special Note, with up to date pictures and comments, and we have all of Clancy's history in a Timeline on our page.

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