Meghan Halverson is a talented filmmaker and passionate about koalas, and she has combined these two elements to create movies that inspire others to also care about the koala.  Below is her latest movie and its reason for being, in her own words.

Koalas are an iconic species of Australia. They live nowhere else in the wild other than in Australia, yet this beautiful country could one day see the extinction of this amazing marsupial in the wild if measures are not taken to preserve and protect them today.  Can you imagine an Australia without a koala?? I cannot!

Their plight is complicated and their protection runs into the political arena. Although scientific evidence shows a need for protection and experts in their field have warned, rallied, researched and spoke out, the koalas are still only regionally listed as vulnerable. The problem lies deep within human greed and destructive treatment of the fragile ecosystem in which they live.  An increased economic growth and population explosion is leading to gross habitat destruction. The interaction of koalas within suburbia lead to risks of car hits and dog attacks.

Rescuers are forced to witness a cruel reality of death and disease with each breeding season. Laws exist that restrict the safe release of animals in their home ranges and lead to talk of re-location for safety. Animals are euthenased under the law when diseased and deemed no longer of value to the ecosystem they serve.  How can we really understand the complex balance that is disturbed by our actions? Humans have created the laws that serve them however, I am unsure if these laws serve the animals without a voice. It is time that we speak louder to preserve our icons, the ecosystem they live in and the many other species within this fragile habitat they share. Their future is in our hands! Our future may depend on it as well.