This Massachusetts 6-year-old is making clay koalas to raise funds for Australian animals

Owen Colley believes that "helping animals is better than watching TV," and that's why he's creating small clay koalas in exchange for donations to an Australian wildlife rescue.

Owen, 6, lives in Hingham, Massachusetts. His father, Simon Colley, is from Australia, and when Owen learned about the devastating bushfires there, he came up with a way he could help from afar. He started a fundraiser, and everyone who gives at least $50 receives a clay koala, handmade by the young artist. "People buy them, then we get the money, then we give it to Australia," he told Boston 25 News.

The donations are being sent to Wildlife Rescue South Coast, which is building enclosures for displaced animals and helping Australians set up feeding stations at their homes for animals whose habitats were destroyed, leaving them without food and water. Owen's first goal was to reach $1,000 in donations, and he's already surpassed that; as of Thursday night, his fundraiser has brought in $133,933. "I'm so proud of him," his mother Caitlin Colley told CBS Boston. "He's doing a great job." Catherine Garcia

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