Koala's in UK Zoos

B

bugs

Well-Known Member
Another quick question. How many zoos in the UK have kept koala ? I know Edinburgh Zoo has them at the moment and I believe London kept them in the 90's but have any other zoos ever kept them in the past or expressed intrest in keeping them?

Cheers
Bugs
 
Last edited:
Are Koala bears from the Americas, Europe or Asia. Do they look anything like Koalas.


Puting BEAR beside a native Australian marsuipial is one of my pet HATES.
 
Monty said:
Puting BEAR beside a native Australian marsuipial is one of my pet HATES.
Click to expand...

Mine too. Unless it's an Australian Drop Bear.

:)

Hix
 
no other zoos in the uk currently have them, lthough marwell have an austrailian area and might want to get them for that

and i hate the name koala bear to :)
 
I doubt Marwell would ever get koalas, I think they're strictly for the higher-status outside of Australia, hence why only London & Edinburgh have ever kept them. Please don't use personal speculation in a thread that searches for accurate information.
 
The reason koalas dont do well in the UK is that they are extremely picky eaters. They will eat about 30 of the 650 eucalyptus varieties,which isn't highly nutritious and these varieties contain less toxins than the others. While the koala is adapted to deal with these toxins, if the leaves aren't fresh the toxins will build up in the leaves and make the koala sick (usually they just wont eat them though). Koalas do eat a small amount of other vegetation such as gum tree leaves as they also get their hydration (water) from leaves rather than drinking.

In 1989, two female koalas (Mije and Billi) arrived at London Zoo, from San Diego Zoo, and settled happily, the eucalyptus was flown in from Australia or sent up from Devon. After quarantine they were housed in the large but rather stark circular room in what used to be the old orang house, and here they would climb on a wooden climbing frame against the painted backdrop of a eucalyptus forest. I remember being at the zoo at this time and they weren't well advertised/promoted so I was the only one in the house, it was certainly like they were exhibited as a second thought. One of the koalas became ill in 1992 and died. The Zoo considered it unfair to keep the remaining koala on her own so she was sent away to join a group living in a zoo in Portugal. The original koalas of London, almost a century ago, were fed on eucalyptus cough pastilles and these were the first koalas to be exhibited in England for nearly 80 years.

P.S. Don't like Panda Bear OR Koala Bear - its just not necessary, is it because these are popular soft toys?
 
Marwell Dalek said:
I doubt Marwell would ever get koalas, I think they're strictly for the higher-status outside of Australia, hence why only London & Edinburgh have ever kept them. Please don't use personal speculation in a thread that searches for accurate information.
Click to expand...

:p it wasnt personal speculation, i said they might think about getting them:p
 
'They might think': First off, you don't know what the tops at Marwell are thinking about, and then might implies it isn't confirmed. Therefore it is something thought up by you, making it personal, and it isn't affirmed, making it speculation. And I'll say it again, the chances of Marwell getting koalas are nigh impossible. Just cos they have an Austrailian biome doesn't mean they want to showcase the entire diversity.
 
Marwell Dalek said:
I doubt Marwell would ever get koalas, I think they're strictly for the higher-status outside of Australia, hence why only London & Edinburgh have ever kept them. Please don't use personal speculation in a thread that searches for accurate information.
Click to expand...

The statement "I doubt Marwell will ever get koalas, I think ... " is two separate personal speculations.

Zebedee101: Gum leaves are Eucalyptus.

:)

Hix
 
Thanks Hix, feel slightly more comfortable being corrected by a bona fida Aussie!

I was reading an article on the toxins from eucalyptus and it said they also eat gum leaves - toxicologists certainly aren't zoologists!
 
I wonder where Koala "bear" came from? Is it just because they have the cute, cuddly factor that bears have I wonder?
 
ashley-h said:
I wonder where Koala "bear" came from? Is it just because they have the cute, cuddly factor that bears have I wonder?
Click to expand...

Yeah, they are a little bear shaped. And when I was growing up I didn't have a traditional teddy bear, I had a toy Koala instead so they may have picked it up there as well - Teddy Bears and Koala Bears.

And despite the fact they look cute and cuddly, they aren't! Wild ones usually stay in trees and ignore you, but if you have to catch them they can certainly inflict a lot of damage with their teeth and claws. At Taronga Zoo there was a handraised Koala that was tame and could be held for a few moments before deciding to sink his fangs into your shoulder. The staff refered to him as 'the spawn of Satan', and he wasn't the only one!

:)

Hix
 
Then the keepers in Edinburgh should watch out, as when I was there they just entered the enclosure and casually picked up the Koalas to weigh them.
They didn't mind at all, although it's the first time I've seen one move!
 
Adults tend to be more sedate and somke individuals will tolerate a lot of handling. But when they are upset, or just want to be left alone - watch out!

:)

Hix
 
Here are some wild ones I filmed on the weekend. The females were screeching and the males were roaring all night. There were five I saw within 100 m of my camp. There was a lot of fighting going on they were also moving about on the ground while swapping trees, they were much more interesting to watch than usual.


I also took a few photos I will put in the galery.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top