Meet Maximus

Maximus is a wild koala who calls Woogaroo Forest home. 

He was found sick and struggling, in need of emergency care. He spent six months in veterinary care before he was strong enough to be released. Under Australian wildlife legislation, rescued koalas must be returned to their original home range, as they rarely survive being relocated to unfamiliar territory, since they depend on knowing exactly which trees are safe, which are food sources, and where they sit in relation to other koalas nearby. So when Maximus was well enough, he was brought back to the only home he's ever known: Woogaroo Forest.

That's what makes his story matter so much right now. Maximus survived because his forest was still standing when he needed to come home to it. If Woogaroo Forest is cleared, koalas like him won't have that option - there's no "elsewhere" for a koala that's spent its life learning one specific patch of bush.

Koalas were listed as Vulnerable under national law in 2012. By 2022, that listing had been upgraded to Endangered - a two-step decline in just a decade. 

Koalas depend on connected, mature canopy to move safely between feeding trees, which is exactly what an intact forest like Woogaroo provides and a cleared, fragmented landscape can't. When koalas are relocated, they often try to return to their original home range, putting them in the path of car strikes, dog attacks, and stress-related illness along the way.

Maximus is one koala, but his story is the story of every koala whose survival depends on this forest remaining whole.

Want to explore Woogaroo Forest and why habitats matter? Visit Maximus's Forest, our educational resource for young learners.