There is a myth that koalas are cute, cuddly quiet animals.
Not so, it is not a domesticated animal even if it does reside in a zoo or wild
life park. The koala has powerful curved sharp claws and sharp teeth that can
inflect some nasty injuries. Like any animal, a koala will certainly try to
defend itself when threatened.
The visitor would love to pose with one with its arms around
its neck; but in Sydney, holding a koala is no longer permissible.
A koala is not a bear, but a marsupial. Female koalas
usually become sexually mature around two years, males also the same period,
but do not attain physical maturity until three or four years of age. Like kangaroos, females carry their young in a pouch. The pouch contains
two nipples and after conception has occurred, a lining of a black greasy
substance commences which is to lubricate the un-furred joey’s skin and has
antibiotic properties to keep the joey clean. Female koalas are excellent
mothers, and are highly protective of their young.
It is the largest
tree-climbing mammal in Australia. Each animal has its own “home range” where
it lives on leaves of the eucalyptus tree. The “home range” is the koala’s
territory and includes a specific location on a particular tree that they
choose. All the home ranges of each animal overlap to some degree and, though
males do fight during breeding season, they do not actively march up and down
defending their territory.
Most koalas have very soft thick grey fur and fluffy ears
that give them that “teddy bear” appearance. Adult koalas sitting on the ground
look approximately the same size and shape as an 18-month old human toddler.
Koala fur is considered the most insulated of all marsupial fur and is
remarkably waterproof. Koala eyes are brown and cat-like with their noses being
prominent, black and leathery. Their sense of hearing and smell is excellent
and critical to their survival. Koalas greet and recognize others by their
smell. They use their highly sensitive nose to locate eucalypt leaf that is
choice and palatable. Weight of males is about 11.6 kilos, females 7.8 kilos.
Their hands and feet are well adapted to both the climbing
of trees and grabbing at branches to access leaves. Their hands have three
fingers and two opposing thumbs to ensure a good grip with each digit equipped
with long sharp, curved claws. This is evident in high winds when the koala
effortlessly perches high in the swaying branches.
The word koala comes from the aboriginal “no drink.” When climatic
conditions are good, eucalyptus leaf carries enough moisture to sustain koalas’
daily needs. In dry season however, the koala needs go to ground to find water
because the leaf moisture content can be very low. This is one reason why most
koala populations tend to be near water courses where tree moisture is better.
Their day is usually made up of 19 hours of sleep in the
eucalyptus tree; the remaining five hours are spent in locating food and eating
it.
The number one threat to the koala is loss of habitat… no
tree, no koala. As more and more forested areas are removed for housing
developments, the more pressure this places on the koala population. If their “homes” are threatened, then also is
the diversity of other flora and fauna that share the same ecosystem. As
habitat is removed, the koala population will spiral down.
In Sydney, I was fortunate to go to a preserve where koalas
were in their trees resting, but at a particular time, they were brought down
to be viewed and photographed. I was able to capture the face up close, as
shown here. My model was not overly excited, and would have preferred to finish
her beauty nap. As soon as our photo shoot was completed, she was put back in
her location in the tree, where she chewed a leaf or two, pooped, and then went
back to sleep.
Australian friends presented me with Certificate of Adoption
of a wild koala. She had been brought to the Koala Hospital from her wild
habitat in the woods with a conjunctive eye infection, called Chlamydia, in
both eyes. Her name was Ellenborough Nancy, and her photo proved she was a
beauty. Her bio said she came from a region deeply forested and sparsely
populated; a region in which koalas rarely encountered human beings. This made
her particularly wild and less accepting of humans, even though the treatment
was designed to help them.
The bio went on to say it was particularly difficult for
volunteers to carry out the daily cleaning of her unit. Most adult wild koalas
will accept human medical treatment if brought in for disease or injury, but
some remain fearful and in a “wild state.” The majority of wild koalas will
revert back to their wild state when released back into their home range areas.
The consensus was she
was neither a happy camper nor a cooperative one, and would swipe at as many
volunteers as she could if she felt they
had overstayed their welcome. She was eventually cured, but was wild to the
very end. On the day of her release, she was brought into the treatment room
for customary final weigh-in. When the canvas bag in which she was placed was
put on the scales, she poked her head out the top and the handlers did their
best to contain her just long enough to get the scale reading. The consensus
was “The sooner we got this wild thing back to her wilds, the better.” She was
returned to her home (tree) cured, and was sighted by a volunteer a week later
in the same area happily munching a leaf in the same tree in which she had been
released.
I have the certificate displayed in my home, and point with
delight to other friends that an adopted daughter awaits my visit to
Ellenborough.
