Koalas are among the many unique animals that have mysteriously evolved in Australia. Because of Australia's isolation and diverse ecology, an incredible variety of animal species can be found there and nowhere else on earth.

The koala is, perhaps, the most familiar and endearing of Australia's wildlife. The koala was not always the popular and well loved animal it is today; it was once hunted for its pelt to the brink of extinction. Now protected, the downward trends of koala populations have been reversed through intensive management since the middle of the 20th century. In some areas, in fact, the koala is quite common. Although principally nocturnal, the koala can be seen in the daytime resting or sleeping in its favorite tree, the eucalyptus.

Females give birth each year. When the young koala is born, it weighs only a fraction of an ounce. During this period, the young will remain in its mother's pouch, which opens from the rear. After six months, the young koala will leave the pouch and travel on its mother's back. By 11 months, the young will become independent.

In my painting, a young koala, not really ready for independence, briefly ventures away from its mother and tightly clings to the bough of a tree, anxiously looking down to the security of its mother.

- John Seerey-Lester