My name is Claire. I am twelve years old, and I love koalas. When I was about 3, I saw a decorative plate hanging from the wall of my family's living room. It had a beautiful picture of a koala. I soon realized that koalas were amazing animals. Ever since koalas have been my favorite animal. 

   I have learned so much about koalas. Some cool facts are, koalas are not a bear. They are marsupials, which means they have a pouch, like a kangaroo. Their pouch, however, is upside down. The female koala has a muscle she can tighten to close the pouch. Another fact is that koalas used to be much bigger. As they evolved, they became smaller.

    Unfortunately, over 80% of koalas habitat has been clear-cut, due to the fact that the Australian government supports the logging industry and considers koalas a nuisance. The Australian Koala Foundation is trying to get a koala protection act which will prevent private landowners from clear-cutting gum forests.