Well I Did Warn You..
So shall we get it over with all in one go? Yes, I’m sorry, there are going to be a few.
Mike informed me, with his most practiced long suffering look, that we walked 6.4km in one relatively small wildlife sanctuary alone just looking for koalas. Luckily they had a cafe. So we could break for lunch and resume.
“Oy, who goes there..”
But we’ve seen koalas in plenty of other places as well, too many to count. It helps when you’ve developed the knack for spotting them, often jammed into a fork between the tree trunk and a branch.
The koala, a marsupial not a bear, lives almost entirely on eucalypt leaves and only certain species at that. Sadly this diet offers little in the way of energy which is why, with its low metabolic rate, the koala sleeps for 20 hours of every day. If you could ever call them active it’s most likely to be at night.
The population is threatened across Australia as a whole yet on Kangaroo Island, in South Australia, it is booming. So much so that the government has undertaken control measures including sterilisation and relocation. It’s either that or see a decimation of manna gums, the koalas favourite. Bad not only for the manna gum trees, ultimately it could even lead to koalas eating themselves into starvation.
Peek-a-Boo..
But it is about population management, not significant reduction. There are still plenty of babies about and how utterly adorable they are.
A mum does need her sleep though, even if baby has other ideas..
Humph.
Now that’s much better.
Say aaaahhhh..
“And what did you do today then?”
”Just hung around, basically.”
Koalas do move about in daytime. Occasionally. This one has a baby too. Unlike the kangaroos, koalas have a rear facing pouch. The muscles of the pouch have to be strong, for obvious reasons!
A koala can move fast if of a mind..
So much so that we struggled to keep up with the camera..
Believe it or not it’s not unusual for koalas to leap between trees and we did actually witness this happen.
Eucalypt leaves are always greener on the neighbouring tree (fabulous shot, by Mike).
Koalas have poor eyesight but excellent hearing. They seek out food mostly by smell.
They tend to rest in the uppermost branches of the trees, surrounded by leaves, reaching out and pulling across a nearby bunch whenever they fancy a snack.
On a hot day koalas may descend to find a cooler spot but usually, to get a clear shot, a long lens is required. I caught the one above in an unfortunate moment, not realising until seeing the photo blown up on the screen. And doesn’t s/he look indignant. I therefore apologise to it and to you if you’re still having your breakfast. But hey, everyone has to do it. Even the Queen!
Thanks for ‘bearing’ with me for the koala fest..
“Can you see her mama? I think she might have gone. At last..”
These were tons of fun.. loved them all
Thanks Penny. I could have watched them for hours. Ummm.. possibly did!
Wow! These photos are amazing and you were so fortunate to experience these amazing and adorable animals. I have never seen a Koloa in person and probably never will, so thank you so much for walking the 6.4 km and sharing your journey with us!
The koalas can move freely in and out of the reserve although their favourite trees have been planted within it! The truly wild ones, of course, even more difficult to spot. We were very lucky to find so many.
This was precious. I loved seeing their paws up close. Thanks Jessica.
Their paws are fascinating aren’t they? Two opposable thumbs on each front paw for climbing, holding on to trees and gripping food. The second and third digits of the rear paws are fused together to form a grooming claw (from blog.queensland.com).
Beautiful photos ….aaah
🙂
Adorable! Loved every picture.
Truly adorable. They seem to have had a good year if the number of babies is anything to go by.
Oh My! The cuteness overdose. Thanks for sharing these.
We seemed to be in the right place for koalas. So many times we saw people on the side of the road with cameras pointed up trees. Of course we had to stop for every one!
Delightful creatures! I am enjoying your trip, especially as it’s so grim here. My advice would be to stay there, such a wonderful country.xxx
Oh, if only I could, I would. Sadly the immigration opportunities have really tightened up.. ask me how I know.
I’ve only seen them in zoos and even that’s been years now so I appreciate an opportunity to see them through your lens. I guess dealing with relentless paparazzi is the karmic burden one must pay for being so adorable.
Yes indeed. Unfortunately, as ever, the selfie seekers take it too far. We drew the line at climbing trees.
What wonderful pictures!! I love Koalas!! My boys were lucky enough to hold a Koala many years ago now, but that made their trip!! Enjoy your continuing journey!!
Hi Heather, thanks. We did get close enough, last trip, to discover they are just as soft and fluffy as they look!
This is a wonderful collection of koala closeups, thank you, Jessica. It’s good to know there’s at least one place in Australia where they’re flourishing.
Yes indeed. I read today that one third of the population of spectacled fruit bats died in the recent Queensland heatwave. It’s getting dire.
Ahhh… they really are sweet and your photos are adorable. I am lucky to have seen them in the wild and glad that they are doing well in at least one part of Australia.
It’s wonderful to see them in the wild isn’t it. I wish they were thriving everywhere.
Cutiepies 🙂
Definitely!
Great photos of the koalas.. some of the best I have seen, and they look so healthy and active. The babies are SO cute! I was hoping you survived our heavy rain & quite cold conditions ( last week) especially since you were travelling light. Have fun.
We have had some very wet and cool days. But it can’t be sunshine all the way can it. And sometimes it’s nice to have an excuse for a chill out day without too much travelling around. Not too many of those though! It’s odd weather all over at the moment. Either too hot or too cold!
A marvellous collection. I hadn’t realised how well camouflaged they can be
They certainly are. Quite difficult to spot.
What a gorgeous treat on a dank dull dismal day back in Blighty. Thanks Jessica. I used to have a toy koala bear when I was little, sadly mine is no longer but my daughter’s koala is safely tucked away in a pillowcase in a cupboard!
Hi! Lovely to hear from you and I hope you’re well.
I have a very old one which I fear is made of real skin. Such was the way back in the day. I noticed before we came away that it is splitting too. I shall have to mend it.
A koala fest, indeed! Wonderful photos.
Thanks. It was a pleasure to be able to take them!
Oh dear, they are so adorable! I can see why you took plenty of photos–and very good ones indeed. I would love to see them in their native habitat one day, instead of at a zoo.
We both took very many more photos.. these are the result of much editing! There can’t be many creatures as photogenic.
EFantastic photos of the koalas.
Thanks Linda!
All koala photos very much appreciated! They are very cute x
I can’t promise there won’t be more.. you never know! Thanks Gina.
Fabulous photos of one of my favorites…. SO adorable! Lucky you to get to enjoy them up close!
Definitely a privilege to be that close. They make it look easy, not a care in the world. But I guess I would get bored with all that sitting around.. eventually?
They are absolutely adorable and what fabulous photos.
Thanks Chloris.