HUGS HEAL
Help save the bushfire koalas one heartbeat at a time.
Australia needs more support for its wildlife relief efforts for the koalas injured during the recent Australia bushfires. The treatment and rehabilitation expenses, as well as shelter and feeding costs, are extensive for the thousands of rescued koalas.
Hugs Heal koala has a real Australian koala heartbeat recording that beats with every hug.
My Furbaby’s Heartbeat Bear has a soft spot in our hearts for koalas. Our cuddly Hugs Heal koala has a real Australian koala heartbeat recording that beats with every hug. Hugs Heal is helping to bring awareness to the critical need in Australia and is helping fund the treatment and care for the injured koalas. Our hope is for the wounded koalas to survive and for the species to thrive.
All proceeds from the sales of Hugs Heal will go to Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors foundation in Australia (see more below).
We are partnering with Steve and Terri Irwin’s foundation, Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors, in Queensland, Australia. They have a hospital where they are caring for the koalas, and they are supporting other wildlife relief efforts with medicine and food supplies throughout the bushfire areas. All proceeds from the sales of our Hugs Heal koalas will go directly to support the Wildlife Warriors efforts with the koalas in Australia.
Photo Credit: Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors
"With an approximate population of 100,000 to 200,000 in the wild before the fires, koalas were already on the verge of extinction. The Word Wildlife Fund now says that more than 30,000 may have perished, although the final toll won't be known for months.
Koalas are also known to breed so slowly that it could take 100 years for the population to rebuild. This means that saving just one is crucial."
– CBS News
Featured Koala and Heartbeat: Lottie Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. Columbia, SC
Lottie was kind enough to record her heartbeat for this special Hugs Heal koala. Lottie is an 18-year-old female koala originally from Queensland, Australia. She has been living at the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia, South Carolina since 2002. Caring for Lottie is part of a sister-state exchange between South Carolina and Queensland, Australia. Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens say they are very lucky to care for koalas like her, as they are one of only ten zoos in the nation to do so. Lottie has given birth to 11 joeys and has 14 "grand-joeys", 6 "great-grand-joeys", and even 1 "great-great-grand-joey". Lottie is a beloved member of the Riverbanks family and enjoys her long naps and fresh eucalyptus.