Toilet tissue brand, Cushelle, has launched a series of tricky brainteasers that challenge people to find a hidden Koala amongst an elaborate mixture of Australian wildlife. The three puzzles, that hide the brand’s iconic Kenny the Koala within the detailed illustrations, aim to raise awareness of the ongoing impact of the 2020 Australian Bushfires on the threatened marsupials.
Of the estimated 85,000 koalas left in Australia, the fires impacted more than 60,000 of these marsupials, leaving thousands homeless and the species now facing possible extinction in Eastern Australia by 2050. One year on, climate change continues to make extreme events like bushfires more likely and more intense with record-breaking temperatures and severe drought down under. This means forests are more at risk than ever before and firefighters have less access to water supplies to fight the blazes.
The colourful and challenging puzzles take on average 37 seconds to complete and form part of a wider campaign between Essity, the company behind the Cushelle brand, and WWF which involves removing Cushelle’s iconic ‘Kenny the Koala’ from three million of its packs to demonstrate how irreplaceable they are. Cushelle has donated £150,000 to support the recovery of Koalas impacted by the fires and help re-build their habitats and aims to encourage further donations by highlighting the issue.
Commenting on the crisis, Chief Adviser on Species, Paul De Ornellasat WWF said: “The lasting impact of the 2020 bushfires and ongoing threats like climate change mean koalas are facing an uncertain future. The puzzles are a visual way to explain that koalas could vanish from much of their former home unless we act fast.
“Over 19 million hectares of land were affected by the fires in 2020, leaving thousands of koalas without a home. We have to act now to restore their habitats and tackle the issues threatening their future. The koala is one of the world’s most iconic animals and they are an integral part of the Australian bush, perched high in the trees, sleeping up to 18 hours per day and munching through up to 1kg of eucalypts leaves each day.”
Commenting on the initiative, Jo Pybus, Sustainability Manager at Essity, added: “We hope that our #SaveKoalasSaveKenny campaign will bring British consumers’ attention back to the crisis and in turn make a significant difference to our mascot Kenny’s marsupial friends down under.”
Shoppers can contribute to the cause by buying a special donation pack of Cushelle Original. Available in major supermarkets nationwide, both instore and online. For more information about the initiative and how you can help too, visit www.cushelle.com/wwf, follow the brand on Instagram @CushelleUK or Facebook @CushelleTissue, or search the hashtag #SaveKoalasSaveKenny.