A non-fiction reckoning with the koala’s past, present and fighting chance — from the fur trade to the frontlines of rescue — by SAFE founder and wildlife rescuer Rhiannan Spence.
The Last Koalas traces the koala’s story from first contact and the fur trade, through the modern pressures of development, disease and policy, to the science and field solutions now racing to keep them here. It moves from the history and the hard numbers to the frontline — the carers, rescuers and researchers working to change the ending.
It’s a book about loss that refuses to accept the loss as inevitable. Written by wildlife rescuer and SAFE founder Rhiannan Spence, it lays out how we got here and, just as clearly, what it will take to pull koalas back from the brink.
The Last Koalas follows the whole arc — how the crisis was made, what’s driving it now, the policy and economics behind it, and the road out.
Marsupial meets man — the fur trade and first contact, and the development pressure cooker that reshaped the koala’s world.
Death by strangulation, the medical crisis in the wild, and the policy paradoxes that keep koalas on the brink.
Dismantling decades of protection — and the economic case for conservation that too often goes unheard.
Voices from the field, the vaccine breakthrough, new technology and wildlife-movement solutions — the change already underway.
The Last Koalas is built on science and history — but koalas live in people’s memories too. Almost everyone who has crossed paths with one carries something: a moment in the backyard, a rescue on a busy road, a joey that finally made it home, or a place that has quietly gone silent. Those stories are part of why this work matters, and we want to gather them.
Not sure yours “counts”? It does. Here are some of the kinds of stories we’re hoping to hear.
A koala on a road, a fence, a pool or a backyard — what happened, who helped, and how it turned out.
The koala that wandered into your world — in the bush, on your street, or somewhere you never expected.
A joey or patient you nursed — the long nights, the ones that made it, and the ones that didn’t.
Vets, rangers, ecologists, spotter-catchers, researchers — a moment from the field that says something.
A koala you couldn’t save, or a patch of bush that’s gone quiet — the losses are part of the story too.
A release, a recovery, a stretch of habitat brought back to life — the wins that keep us all going.
Tell us what happened, where it was, and what it meant to you — a few lines or a few paragraphs, whatever feels right. Photos are welcome, and family, historical or First Nations stories are just as valued.
Your story comes straight to us by email — nothing is posted publicly, and we’ll always ask your permission before sharing it anywhere.
Register your interest and we’ll let you know when and where you can get The Last Koalas — and share updates from the work behind it.