ZCETT: Has anybody ever designed an exciting koala exhibit?

[DavidBrown]

Howdy. I have a ZooChat Exhibit Think Tank question.

The San Diego Zoo is reportedly going to tear down their current koala exhibit and build a new one. This got me wondering how their current koala exhibit could be improved. Their current exhibit contains several outdoor yards where koalas sit in trees and sleep and eat, and 3 indoor exhibits where koalas sit in fake trees and sleep and eat.

The Los Angeles Zoo koala exhibit consists of two outdoor yards where koalas sit in trees or on a wooden structure and sleep and eat.

The Houston Zoo koala exhibit consists of a couple of indoor rooms where koalas sit on wooden structures and sleep and eat.

in all of these exhibits there will be some action sometimes when koalas will be climbing from one part of the tree or structure to another. Woo hoo. Otherwise these exhibits are all pretty much functionally similar.

Is there anywhere in the world that has a more unique koala exhibit? I visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Queensland in the 1980s and at the time one could have their picture taken holding a koala, but my understanding is that this is no longer allowed (is that true?). Are there any zoos that have interactive koala encounters? I can't think of other ways that this species could be exhibited in a more interesting fashion. Can anybody else?

 

[Electus Parrot]

All over Australia there are koala talks, where one can either hold or pat a koala, depending on the place. Most koalas are exhibited in similar fashion, with usually logs where eucalyptus can be changed daily. Most exhibits are viewed either on a boardwalk or from ground level, providing different views. Some koalas may be exhibited with live trees, with measures taken to prevent the koalas from reaching the tree's leaves. Personally I find koalas boring and there is no practical way in which to exhibit koalas in a way that will make them more interactive, as they sleep most of the day anyway.

 

[jbnbsn99]

A better question, has a koala ever done anything interesting?

 

[oz elephant]

it is actually illegal to hold a koala every where in Australia bar Queensland but it is fine to pat a koala just no holding

 

[oz elephant]

A better question, has a koala ever done anything interesting?

yes koalas do interesting things they can jump from branch to branch and males are actually very loud they call out its a way to show there dominance

 

[PAT]

I can only think of two exhibits that don't follow the tried and tested koala exhibit that you'll find in almost every Australian Zoo. The first is a koala park on Phillip Island. It's probably the only koala walk-through exhibit around and there are live trees for the koalas to climb in. Some trees have guards to stop koalas getting to them and these are rotated so that there are always trees available but not for long enough that they will get over used. The visitor walkways get right up into the forest canopy and the fact that probably 30 or 40 koalas live at the park mean there is more of a chance of seeing some activity. This is the only place I've seen koalas walking around on the ground (to cross the visitor path) There are also wallabies and echidnas living around the exhibits.
Koala Conservation Centre Home
The other exhibit is at Dubbo Zoo. It is basic wooden climbing frames but the koalas can get at least three or four metres off the ground and the visitors boardwalk gets that high too.

 

[Jurek7]

Are koalas more active in night houses - and any zoo keeps them this way?

 

[DavidBrown]

Are koalas more active in night houses - and any zoo keeps them this way?

The LA Zoo did keep them in a nocturnal house for several years Jurek, and it did not seem to increase their activity very much relative to how active they are now that they are outside. Actually they are quite fun to watch early in the morning when the zoo first opens.

When the koalas were in their nocturnal exhibit there were also bettongs and echidnas - they were very active.

 

[MRJ]

I once saw a koala house in Japan, the visitors were separated from the koalas by a glass wall. The koalas themselves were sitting on forks about 4 metres in from the wall, and the floor of their "enclosure" was planted with a field of orchids in flower (although they may have been in pots). Overall it was a large building and one of the largest exhibits in that zoo. Is that what you were after?


Reality is koalas are awake for only about 4 hours a day. Keeping them in a nocturnal house won't help as that 4 hours is made up of short periods of time day or night. They can be just as solidly asleep in the middle of the night as the middle of the day.

They are very interesting animals, and this is best brought out of them through keeper talks and presentations. They are most active when being fed so publicised feeding times would help. Maybe the question should be how to present them in an interesting way rather than expecting an exhibit to help "make" them interesting.