Crikey! Koalas, Crocs, and Costumes

Imagine that one day you wake up to the smell of smoke. Your house is in flames and you are trapped inside. After struggles and burns, you manage to make it out only to realize all of the houses around you are on fire, too. You are in pain and have nowhere to go, and all of your friends are in the same boat. Miraculously, some mythical creatures come to save you. They begin extinguishing the fires and saving your friends and family as well. They work at these fires day after day after day, until one day, it is deemed safe for you to return home. But home, unfortunately, is not what it used to be. There is damage that will take years to repair; you are still out of food, out of shelter, out of hope.

You may think this seems like such an outlandish story, but that is exactly what happened to koalas, kangaroos, and a variety of forest-dwelling birds, reptiles, and mammals in Australia earlier in 2020, with the koalas taking the brunt of the devastation. Over 8 million acres of eucalyptus trees and other plant life gone, in what seemed like just an instant, leaving thousands of koalas for dead, and many more homeless. And just as the story says, despite the extinguishment of the fires by the “mythical” humans that came to the rescue, these animals were not out of the woods. Well, not metaphorically anyways. Precisely, they were, in fact, out of the woods - they were on streets, in people’s yards, and ultimately, they were still in danger.

Many conservationists and animal lovers alike came together to rescue these beautiful creatures, and work to save them from the potential threat of endangerment. One family in particular who, for many years, has been fundamental in the field of conservation, in the way the world views wildlife, and who has inspired me since a very young age, is the Steve Irwin family, owners of the Australia Zoo in Beerwah, Australia.

Since Steve Irwin's unfortunate passing in 2006, his son, Robert, has seemed to have taken on not only Steve's roles at the zoo, but also his character, sharing the same messages as Steve and the rest of his family about crocodiles, koalas, and other misunderstood animals and animals in need. He uses his platform for good, sharing the stories of many of the animals that enter the zoo's wildlife hospital, as well as stories of wildlife in their natural habitats, and about the ongoing climate crisis, letting his followers know how they can help.

While I have been inspired by his entire family, Robert Irwin was the inspiration behind my costume this year. With the destruction of koala habitats amounting to near endangerment of the species in just these past 2 years, I felt it important to do my part in getting the word out about these wonderful little cuddle-bugs. I plan to do my own part by traveling to Australia to volunteer at the Australia Zoo and Wildlife Hospital next year, and I hope to work at the zoo as a wildlife vet in the future. I truly aspire to be an environmental advocate and voice as strong as Robert Irwin, and I wanted that to come through with my Halloween costume this year.

Of course, no Irwin-inspired costume would be complete without the infamous saltwater crocodile (and maybe a few alligators), so I grabbed my best friend, Caroline, and we decided to have a bit more fun, recreating some more of Robert Irwin’s iconic interactions with these majestic reptiles.

I hope you enjoy, and remember: our animals are just as important as us. Without them, we would not exist. We are all interconnected, and with scientific evidence showing that we are now in the middle of a 6th mass extinction, it is extremely important now, maybe more than ever, that we do what we can to protect each other, our wildlife, and our planet as a whole.

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Photo Credits: Kimberly Hess

Permission to Post Granted by Kimberly Hess (Photographer) and Caroline Horst (Crocodile)

All pictures of Robert Irwin and any persons featured in photos of him were obtained from his official, public Instagram as shown. I do not own the right to any photos from Robert Irwin's Instagram (@robertirwinphotography)

Any funds received from this post will go, in part, towards my volunteer trip to Australia and, in part, to animal conservation and rehabilitation efforts of the Australia Zoo (Wildlife Warriors Worldwide).