Koalas are a specialised species.
You cannot keep a Koala without a Specialised Carer’s Permit from DEW (Department for Environment & Water).
We have experienced permitted carers for Koalas from joeys to adults.
If found, immediately phone SA Native Animal Rescue (SANAR) Inc. on (08) 7170 3924.
If the joey is by itself, please look around to see if you can locate the mother so we can try and reunite joey and mum.
If possible, provide warmth with a pouch. A hot water-bottle with a towel wrapped around it or any other heating source (heated wheat bag, etc…). Please do not put the heating source next to or underneath the joey as it may become over-heated and scalded.
DO NOT offer cow’s milk or any other milk substitute as wildlife are lactose intolerant and this will cause severe gut issues. Please do not give them water as well as they can aspirate (inhale) the water if not given correctly.
If found with the dead mother, take both mother and joey to a veterinary practice that is recommended by the SANAR hotline.
The Joey needs to go to a specialised permitted Koala Carer for ongoing care, as Joeys are extremely sensitive and can die without expert care.
If found, immediately phone SA Native Animal Rescue (SANAR) Inc. on (08) 7170 3924
Please do not attempt to handle Koalas as they can cause serious harm. They have very sharp claws and teeth and will use these when frightened especially when they are injured or stressed.
If you do need to handle the Koala, use a blanket and grab from behind holding the upper arms just under the armpit.
DO NOT touch a Koala if you suspect it has mange. It is a zoonotic disease which means humans can get it also.
The Koala can be placed in a box which has a lid or place a washing basket over the Koala with a brick on top of the washing basket, until the Koala Rescuer arrives.
Welding gloves are ideal to use to prevent getting bitten.
DO NOT let others touch the Koala and try to keep noise to a minimum, to avoid frightening the Koala further.
Koalas are a type of mammal called marsupials, which give birth to underdeveloped young in a pouch. They are so different from other marsupials, however, that they have been classified into their own family, called Phascolarctidae. However, they share several characteristics with wombats, who are their closest living relatives, including a backward-facing pouch.
Koalas are well-known for their physical features of a large round head, big furry ears, and a big black nose. Their fur is usually grey-brown in colour with white on the chest, inner arms, ears and bottom. They do not have fur on their nose or the palms of their paws. Koalas have particularly hard bottoms, which is like their closest relative, the wombat. For the koala, this feature enables them to be comfortably wedged in tree forks for long periods of time, whereas wombats use it as a defence mechanism.
Koalas have poor vision and rely on their other senses. They have brilliant hearing which helps them detect predators and other koalas. They have an acute sense of smell which also helps them detect other koalas and their favourite food trees. The male uses a scent gland on his chest to mark trees and attract females, by rubbing his chest up and down the trunk. The gland oozes a clear, oily, strong musky smelling liquid.
Koala’s Scientific name is: Phascolarctos cinereus. It stands for:
Genus: Phascolarcto – phaskolos meaning pouched; arktos meaning bear (derived from Greek).
Species: cinereus meaning ashy-grey (derived from Latin).
Behaviour:
Koalas sleep up to 20 hours a day, due to their low energy diet, and the intense amount of energy required to break down toxic leaves.
Koalas are mostly active at night (nocturnal) and around dawn and dusk. However, they can be seen moving during the day if they are disturbed, get too hot or cold, or need to find a new tree.
A matter of Size:
The colour, size and shape of koalas differs slightly across Australia. Koalas in Queensland are lighter in colour, smaller and have less fur than those in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Queensland’s adult female koalas on average weigh between 5 and 6kg and adult males weigh between 6 and 8kg, compared to the other states adult female koalas with an average weight of 8.5kg and adult males of 12kg.
Paws & Claws for Climbing:
Koalas have suitable strong arms, legs and sharp claws for climbing trees, as they are arboreal (tree dwelling) mammals. However, they do climb down to move between trees. Koalas are poorly adapted to walking on the ground and are therefore slow, although when threatened they can move in a bounding gallop at 30km/hr.
Koalas have two (2) opposable thumbs on their fore (front) paws, allowing them to have a better grip while climbing.
- The word “koala” is believed to have originated from the Aboriginal language, Dharug, which (roughly) translates to ‘no drink’. Which might explain why, the koala rarely drink water, as the majority of their water intake comes from the fresh eucalyptus leaves that they eat.
- Koalas are folivore. They feed mainly on Eucalyptus leaves (and occasionally on other plant species leaves). The digestive system of the koala is particularly good at tolerating the toxic diet of Eucalyptus leaves. Which is fatal to most animals when ingested in small amount.
- They can eat up to a kilogram of leaves a day, without breaking a sweat!
- Koalas can only be found in the southeast and the eastern parts of Australia. They live in forests and open woodlands dominated by eucalyptus tree species.
- The wild number of Koalas is estimated to be around 300 000 mature individuals, and showing a declining population. They are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN
- A Joey, when given birth too, will instinctively climb inside it’s mother pouch to finish development.
- Koalas are asocial marsupials (preferring a solitary lifestyle) as well as being territorial, although they do have home ranges that overlap with other koalas, so it is possible to spot them in higher density.
- Koalas have a vestigial tail. This suggests that at some point in time during the evolutionary history of the Koalas an external tail was present and visible.