Local animal lovers farewell giant northern koala
Animal Aid workers share the love with Townsville's festival amabassador
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ANIMAL advocates turned out today to farewell a giant, furry ambassador as it heads north on its homeward trek.
Weighing 700kg and standing over four metres tall, the koala promotes the Townsville Cultural Festival's 'Unity in Diversity' theme.
The marsupial rested at Multicultural Development Australia's carpark in Rockhampton to highlight the festival's message of bringing everyone together.
Lindell Lutton and Angela Chant are keen animal carers who volunteer for the Capricorn Animal Aid, fostering mainly domestic animals and arranging their adoption.
Lindell specialises in kittens, sometimes getting up through the night to bottle feed entire litters who have lost their mothers.
"We promote looking after our animals, whether they're wildlife or domestic,” she said.
"It's important to our society, our community and the environment.”
Whether or not she'd be able to take care of a 700kg koala, Lindell said she'd be willing to give it a go.
Lindell used to work with the TAFE childcare program where she said many migrant parents came to renew their qualifications.
"It gave me a wider understanding of some of the difficulties people face in getting themselves and their family to a safe country,” she said.
"It's great to see them graduate and start a new life in the region.”
Angela fosters dogs when she's not teaching at Taranganba School.
She said the giant koala was a good way to get children talking about what it stood for.
”Our school advocates for cultural awareness every day through its curriculum and community engagement, especially of our indigenous people,” she said.
"We have one student, arrived in Australia two years, could barely speak who's now one of our highest academic achievers.”
Four-year old chocolate labrador Lucy - who is Angela's own dog and not a foster - just wanted to sniff the koala.
Originally published as Local animal lovers farewell giant northern koala
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