Koala

     For those who have read my post about our recent visit to the State of Victoria in Australia you will know that we visited the Koala Conservation Centre on Philip Island.

     In keeping with most other countries (all?) there has been considerable habitat destruction for wildlife, and anthropogenic activity has generally not favoured anything but the selfish interests of humans.
     Thus it is that centres such as this are necessary to ensure that native wildlife does not succumb to extinction. Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) live a pretty precarious existence in any event, feeding only on gum trees which are severely deficient in nutritional value.

     In fact, in order to prevent the trees at the centre from being entirely denuded by the koalas a supplemental feeding strategy is employed, by bringing in leafy branches from outside the reserve.
     If any animal is identified with Australia, Koala would be the prime contender, in a family of marsupials all emblematic of that great continent down under.

     The fact that it is cute beyond belief and resembles nothing so much as a giant teddy bear does nothing to impede this association.

     Koalas are in fact quite irascible and their benign appearance belies a quite aggressive demeanour, especially if unwanted attention is paid to them, and they are known to attack other koalas who stray into their territory.
     

     They spend most of their lives either eating or sleeping. They climb slowly using their strong forefeet and pulling their hind limbs up, but can move along a horizontal branch at greater speed - well at least for a Koala that is!

     They feed simply by pulling down branches and munching on the leaves.

     Although eucalyptus leaves have low nutritional value, they contain enough moisture to eliminate the need for water, and Koalas are not known to drink. 
     It is an arduous process to digest and extract all the nutrients available from this low grade food, and the schematic below explains the process.

     Koalas feed mainly at night, although we saw several feeding during daylight hours during our visit.
     We applaud the efforts being made to preserve this iconic species, and especially the serious level of public education featured at the centre. Let us hope that visitors take notice and support efforts to conserve other organisms, even those without the emotive appeal of Koalas. All creatures are part of our ecosystems, the elimination of any one of them diminishes and changes it, and we need to seriously address the destructive consequences of human arrogance and lack of foresight.
     I would be remiss if I did not thank my great friend, Stewart Monckton, for making us aware of the Koala Conservation Centre and recommending a visit. It was certainly very worthwhile and I am glad that we took the time to do it.