This blog topic was prompted by Megan, a 7th grader who posted a comment on one of my previous blogs (see Smelly Koalas). She said that she has always wanted to help koalas since she was in 1st grade and she wanted to know what she could be doing to help them. This really hit a chord with me, because I was just like Megan at that age. I actually started working with animals at the age of 7 at a local Nature Center and the rest is, well, history. I have always been passionate about animals and I know that it is not always easy to figure out how you can help. And we tend to think that the only way we can help is to be hands on, so I thought I would help Megan and every other passionate animal person out there like her, whether you are 7 or 70 years old, and let you know what I think is one of the most important things that every one of us can do to help animals.

It can feel overwhelming as one individual to think of ways that you can make a difference, but you can! I think one of the best tools we have is communication. When you communicate with another person you have an opportunity to educate them. Even if you talk to just one person about, say, koalas (or your favorite animal, plant, insect, bird, reptile, or fish) and why it is important for that person to care about our environment and the inhabitants that share our world with us, you are starting to make an impression. Besides these blogs, I also talk to a lot of my friends, family, and even strangers that I meet in my daily life about my work. Everyone wants to know about the cute cuddly koalas and what it is that I am doing with them. And you know what? They usually end up learning something new from me! You would be surprised about how much you can educate another person about something you are passionate about; people enjoy listening.

Zoos also play a large role in educating people about the wonderful inhabitants of this world. Now you are probably saying to yourself, ” But this is not ‘helping’ the koalas.” Well, actually you are! You are bringing another person’s attention to the issues of koalas and maybe the next time they are channel surfing they will stop and watch a program on koala sanctuaries. Or maybe they will tell someone else and then that person will tell someone else. Or maybe you will end of influencing someone to help with researching koalas in the wild or donating money to koala-based conservation programs. Or maybe they will go to the San Diego Zoo and look for the koalas. Are you starting to get the picture?

So, Megan, go out there and tell your classmates and anyone else you want to educate about koalas. You never know where it may take you!

Jennifer Tobey is a Research Fellow in the Behavioral Biology Division of CRES. She is giving a talk titled ” Koala Chatter” at the Zoo on September 13.

Here’s more information about ways you can help wildlife.
You can also help animals through the Zoo’s Adopt-An-Animal program or by becoming a member of the Zoological Society of San Diego.

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