Great to see the koala, using the outdoor enclosure, i guess with this recent spell of hot weather they will have been outside quite a bit.
Excellent shot SJM
Yes, both koalas are usually indoors - they only take them outside for an hour each day during the really hot weather. Indoors, they are behind big glass windows - one at each side.
Yes, we do keep them behind glass. Apart from the 3 days of sunshine that we enjoy here in Edinburgh each year, the rest of the time it gets quite chilly, and they would not look so attractive with icicles hanging from their little faces!!
No, they are completely in the fresh air when they let them outside. There is a tiered stage where you can sit and watch the koala but it is set well back from the public - you can't get really close. I have a long zoom so it looks as though it's near me. I have never seen them in any other zoo so I don't know how they are housed elsewhere. I presume they are housed as they are in Edinburgh for heating purposes and also to keep them at a distance from the public. There is a barrier in front of the windows - you can't touch the glass.
All European Koala enclosures are basically similar- the indoor areas are always glass-fronted (I've seen Edinburgh's, Duisburg's, Planckendael's and Vienna's). It's my understanding that this is encouraged (if not enforced) by the studbook holders.
