HOW TO CELEBRATE WILD KOALA DAY - 3rd May 2020

Founded in 2016, Wild Koala Day returns in 2020 as a program of national community events, made possible through the collaboration of organisations and individuals committed to the conservation of wild koalas, and the education & empowerment of their human neighbours.  This year in 2020, however the organisers have had to "think out of the box" with the current Covid19 restrictions in-place, and so some creative ideas have been put together as a way to still celebrate and support wild koalas in Australia.

Toowoomba Koala and Wildlife Rescue are proud to be a part of this event and we have compiled some of our own suggestions as well as those from the World Koala Day Committee below that you can easily do from home to feel like you are participating.

5 WAYS HOW TO CELEBRATE WILD KOALA DAY 2020 FROM HOME

1. SHARE THIS POST or these suggestions from Wild Koala Day on Social Media, use the tag #wildkoaladay on Instagram.  If you are lucky enough to see a wild koala in your area - please photograph it and share on social media and add the sighting to Koalatracker.com.au, otherwise share photos you have taken in the past.
2. WEAR A GUMLEAF - Gum leaves are the perfect symbol for Wild Koala Day: they are biodegradable, 100% natural and critical to koala survival. If you are lucky enough to have access to a gum tree in your property or your local area, you can collect one and pin it to your shirt. Alternatively you can  print and make your own gum-leaf here:  http://www.wildkoaladay.com.au/kids-activities/make-your-own-gum-leaf/
3. PLAN TO PLANT A TREE - Planting a koala food tree and taking care of it after you have done so, is a wonderful way to ensure the survival of our local koalas on private land.  We have compiled a list of the local koala food trees for the Toowoomba Region.  Please note that koala food tree favorites vary greatly from region to region, so it is always best to check with your local native nursery, or local wildlife rehabilitator for the accurate species for your region.  Please be mindful that large eucalyptus trees are not really suitable for planting in a city property, so instead, join a local environmental group and participate in their next tree planting activities.  More info here: https://www.toowoombakoalarescue.org/updates/plan-to-plant-a-koala-tree-in-toowoomba-region
4. DECORATE KOALA CUPCAKES - A great activity with the kids is to bake and decorate some koala themed cupcakes - photograph them and share on social media!  Check out our full tried and tested recipe HERE. 
5. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL KOALA RESCUE GROUP & WILDLIFE VET'S- Supporting your local volunteer koala rescue and rehabilitation group or local wildlife hospital or wildlife vet can make a world of difference.  All over North Eastern & Southern Australia in areas where Koalas are found, there are rescue groups doing what they can on a volunteer basis, to help save and preserve koalas and their habitat.  Supporting your local group can include the following simple options:  Follow them on social media and share and positively comment on their posts, make a small donation towards koala rehabilitation, or attend any of their upcoming events.  Follow Toowoomba Koala & Wildlife Rescue on Facebook Here and my personal Wildlife Instagram Here,  Follow Wild Koala Day on Facebook Here

For full list of official Wild Koala Day Activities please visit: http://www.wildkoaladay.com.au/

Happy Wild Koala Day 2020

Thankyou for your ongoing support of Koalas in the Toowoomba Region.

Judi Gray
Toowoomba Koala and Wildlife Rescue

I have decorated these koala cupcakes a few times now to take to different wildlife events or get-together's with other wildlife carers. They are super easy, not expensive to make and very tasty despite having grey icing!  They are a lot of fun to make and perfect to make to celebrate Wild Koala Day or any special occasion.  Perfect for the kids to decorate themselves also.  N.B. The recipe can be easily adjusted to suit food intolerance's by using gluten free or vegan alternatives in the cake, milk, chocolate options etc as you normally would.  

MAKE THE CUPCAKES  (Option 1 - Easy Version- Packet Cake Mix)

1. Purchase a 340g Butter Cake Packet mix and make per directions. (traditional recipe to make cupcakes from scratch below)
2. Beat with electric mixer until thick and creamy - following directions on packet.
3. Use a muffin tin tray rather than a traditional cupcake tin tray (these are too small to decorate easily).  Place patty cases into the muffin tray (suggest using silver foil or black paper cases where possible to match the koala decor)
4. Fill the cases 2/3 of the way up with prepared cupcake mixture and bake in moderate oven for around 20 minutes until firm.​
5. Cool on tray while preparing the icing.

MAKE THE CUPCAKES (OPTION 2 - Make Cakes from Scratch)

• 125g Butter
• 2/3 cup Caster Sugar (140g)
• 2 large Eggs
• vanilla
• 1/3 cup Milk
• 1 1/2 cups Self-Raising Flour (190g)

1. Beat butter and sugar to a cream.
2. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well, add vanilla.
3. Sift flour and add to mixture alternately with milk.
4. Beat until mixed into a soft dough.  Follow options 3-4 in Option 1 Directions to bake.

VIENNA CREAM ICING (Rich and fluffy and easy to ice and add colour to)

• 125 g Butter (use real butter, not margarine for best result)
• 1 1/2 cups Icing Sugar (sifted)
• 2 tablespoons Milk
• Black Food Colouring

1. Have butter at room temperature, beat the butter in small bowl of electric mixer, until it is as white as possible.  
2. Gradually add in half of the sifted icing sugar, then all of the milk, and follow with the rest of the icing sugar.
3. Add in a couple of drops of the black food colouring until mixed through, to make desired grey icing colour.

HOW TO DECORATE YOUR KOALA CUPCAKES
Decoration Ingredients:

• Prepared cooled Cupcakes & Grey Icing
• Desiccated Coconut
• Black Jelly Beans for the Koala Nose
• White marshmallows (traditional size) for the Koala Ears (alternative option is to use large white choc-melts)
• Milk or Dark Chocolate Chips for the Koala Eyes (alternative option is to use black or brown smarties or m&m's)
• Black Food Colouring
• Grey Sprinkles/Food Grade Glitter or Dessicated Cocconut for the Koala Inner Ears

1. Ice cupcakes with a flat blade knife.
2. Cut White Marshmallows in half with kitchen scissors and then dust sticky side of marshmallows in grey sprinkles or food glitter. Press on marshmallows to top of cake as  the "koala ears" with the sprinkle/glitter side facing up.  Alternatively you can just use dessicated coconut if you don't have sprinkles.
3. Add upside down chocolate chips as eyes (so flat side is facing up) and add the jelly beans as a nose.
4. To create the grey koala "fur", place 1 cup of dessicated cocounut into a plastic zip seal bag and add a few drops of black food colouring. Seal bag and mix the colouring thorugh the cocounut by "kneading the bag" until the colour has lightly dusted the coconut to a a white grey colour.  Sprinkle the coconut on the icing on the koala face.
5. Store in an air-tight container and in the refrigerator if the weather is warmer.... that is if they last that long!  Enjoy!

We would love to see how your cupcakes turn out to tag us on social media! #toowoombakoalaandwildliferescue  @toowoombakoalaandwildliferescue 
You can support orphaned, injured and sick koalas during their rescue and rehabilitation HERE
Find out more about Wild Koala Day on 3rd May HERE

Happy Baking & Thank-you for loving our Koalas!
​
Judi Gray
Toowoomba Koala & Wildlife Rescue

We are very grateful to Humane Society International & WWF-Australia for starting the ball rolling to have the Koala listed as Endangered instead of Vulnerable in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT! We rely heavily on respected organisations such as these to speak for all of our concerns. We are grateful to have worked with both on different koala rehabilitation and education projects in the past. Fingers crossed!
​

PLANTING A KOALA FEED TREE ON YOUR PROPERTY CAN HELP SUSTAIN WILD KOALAS INTO THE FUTURE IN THE TOOWOOMBA REIGON

​We are often asked which are the best tree types for plant for koalas in the Toowoomba Region, so we have compiled their favourites in the image below. Please keep in mind that this list is just for the greater Toowoomba Region.  Koala's are super fussy and they like different native varieties of eucalyptus trees depending on which are they live in.  Please consult your local conservation group or nursery to check which are the best species for your area outside of the Toowoomba Region, for the best chance of tree survival and koala food source.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:  Please be mindful that koala feed trees are large eucalyptus trees and not suitable for planting in small or city yards, under power lines or close to neighboring fences

WHERE TO BUY KOALA TREES:  We suggest purchasing Koala Feed Trees for planting as tube stock from your local community nursery, where they grow the trees from local wild collected seed.  In the Toowoomba Region, the Crows Nest Community Nursery and Peacehaven Park Botanical Nursery are two excellent options along with other local nurseries.

PLANT KOALA FEED TREES WITH LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS:
Joining an environmental group to plant trees is another wonderful way to ensure a successful koala tree planting project.  Please remember to return to water the tree in initial stages and care for it into the future to ensure it's survival.
In Toowoomba Groups that participate in tree planting projects  include:

• Friends of the Escarpment Parks
• Gomaren & Doctors Creek - Goombungee Landcare
• Pittsworth Landcare
• Darling Downs Environment Council

Happy Tree Planting & thank you for caring about our Toowoomba Koalas.

Judi Gray
Toowoomba Koala and Wildlife Rescue