5/28/2014 - Former Koala Exhibit

This exhibit was built for koalas when they first arrived in 1992 to celebrate the Zoo\'s 100th anniversary. The last koala left about 10-12 years later, sat vacant for a few years, and then was home to two male koalas in 2007 as a summer special exhibit. The exhibit has sat empty ever since.

I really wish we'd get something in this exhibit, even a koala just for a summer again or SOMETHING! Or just tare it down completely and make it part of the kangaroo yard.

I saw koalas indoors but never here. It was as good an experience as could realistically be expected for a koala. It would be fantastic as if they could re-acquire some koalas but I understand they're expensive and difficult to keep in such a small zoo with comparatively paltry funding.

Hopefully they can find something to do with this exhibit.

Something I always thought could be done to this exhibit is renovate and expand it, add a lot more vegetation, put mesh over it, and give it to the tree kangaroos. The only real problem I have with the Australian complex is the lack of outdoor access for tree kangaroos. Most of the viewing would be through mesh, but the deck can probably incorporate some windows. I think it would work pretty well.

Milwaukee Man said:

Something I always thought could be done to this exhibit is renovate and expand it, add a lot more vegetation, put mesh over it, and give it to the tree kangaroos. The only real problem I have with the Australian complex is the lack of outdoor access for tree kangaroos. Most of the viewing would be through mesh, but the deck can probably incorporate some windows. I think it would work pretty well.

Click to expand...

I've had that thought and think it's a spectacular idea, and in fact shortly after the koalas left back in 2007, I did suggest to a Zoo Pride volunteer that they could use it for the tree kangaroos (granted, I was 8 years old at the time) but she told me "Noooo, no. That wouldn't work. They can jump" Hence putting the mesh over it... I would love to suggest it again but I'm sure I would get a similar outcome.

It has been many years and this exhibit is long gone, but it still pops into my head here and there.

I can no longer remember if this was true, but I was under some impression at the time that the koala could use a burrow to travel between this and the indoor enclosure. I thought that was so cool.