Nancy Cushing

Cute, captivating and strange, Australia’s distinctive marsupials—kangaroos and koalas—have long served as touchstones of national pride and identity. Other animals have, in comparison, been viewed in a highly negative light: crocodiles as fearsome predators, disease-ridden mosquitoes, and the tragedy of Tasmanian tigers. But rarely have these species been seen as making history. Responding to calls to incorporate Aboriginal ways of...

Cute, captivating and strange, Australia’s distinctive marsupials—kangaroos and koalas—have long served as touchstones of national pride and identity. Other animals have, in comparison, been viewed in a highly negative light; crocodiles as fearsome predators, disease-ridden mosquitoes, and the tragedy of Tasmanian tigers. However, rarely have these species been seen as making history. Responding to calls to incorporate Aboriginal ways of...