A quirky look at wildlife. To be taken with a pinch of
salt, but with more than a grain of truth!

Since I wrote about international wildlife symbols in the last issue, another internationally known wildlife symbol has come to prominence world wide as a result of the wild fires in Australia. However, it has provided some light relief from the somewhat intrusive coverage of the tragedy unfolding daily. Am I the only person to feel uncomfortable with the 'up close and personal' coverage of human misery? I feel like a voyeur as the media digs and probes into the private misery of the victims of the wildfires. Of course we want to know what has happened but do we have to be so invasive?

So it was a relief to see that the media had picked up on a wildlife story which soon spanned the planet— the heartwarming sight of a

koala drinking water from a bottle offered by a fireman. Other stories surfaced, of one landing on someone's porch and drinking from a bucket, and another stopping cyclists on a road and 'begging' for a drink.

To some it might seem almost obscene to worry about the loss of trees and wildlife when people are suffering so unbearably. Yet it is a dreadful loss, and while much of it will recover far more quickly than the people will, animals such as koalas will take much longer to return.

That a koala should drink so copiously is somewhat unusual as normally they gain all the moisture they need from the Eucalyptus on which they feed. These animals must have been very hungry and dehydrated to drink so much. In spite of a cuddly appearance they have sharp teeth and claws and if stressed can do some damage so it is testament to his need that the koala held on so gently to the hand that helped him.

It is clear that the animal is held in much affection world wide but, in spite of being given some protection as far back as the 1930s, the fate of 'Blinky Bill' (an affectionate nickname) is still in the balance. The felling of forests for woodchip, land clearance for development and deaths caused by cars and dogs are taking their toll on this beautiful animal.

In spite of being known the world over as Koala bears, they are in fact not bears but marsupials, as are those other Australian symbols, the kangaroos. Even so, it is very different from most other living marsupials and has been included in a family of mammals called Phascolarctidae, wombats being their closest living relatives.

Their fur is soft and thick, and in the nineteenth and twentieth century European settlers were killing thousands upon thousands of Koalas for their fur, pushing them near to extinction, and it was only public opinion which forced governments to declare it a protected species. However, it seems that protection can vary from state to state even now.

Without life threatening obstacles a koala can live for some 17 years, though they rarely survive beyond ten years, the females living longer than the males. The males are bigger than the females. Southern koalas are bigger than the Northern koalas, with thicker coats, probably as compensation for a normally somewhat cooler climate.

The abiding image of a koala is of it sleeping lazily in the branches of a tree, and indeed they do spend three quarters of their time asleep. That sounds a good life to me! They begin moving around mostly after sunset, so the appearance of those hungry and thirsty koalas in the heat of the day is some indication of their distress.

Weighing between 9 and 20lbs, and measuring between 27 and 36 inches they are larger than I expected, but then all that dozing might have something to do with that. They could almost be called 'couch potatoes' which is probably why so many of us feel an affinity for them.

Their calls sound rather as if they have bad indigestion, which is hardly surprising since the eucalyptus leaves are most indigestible to other creatures. The myth that they get drunk on gum leaves is nonsense. They sleep to save energy while they digest their tough, toxic diet!

They are social animals and need sufficient areas of eucalyptus forest to sustain a good population. They can be found on coastal islands, in tall eucalyptus forest and inland in low woodland. Eucalyptus is poisonous to most animals so there is little competition for their food, except from humans.

Like the Ringtail and Greater Glider possum they can survive purely on eucalyptus leaves, choosing perhaps two or three types from about 300 eucalyptus species. They also eat different types of leaves from box, mistletoe, paperbark, tea tree and wattle, depending which part of Australia they inhabit. Fortunately the wattle is the first tree to regenerate after wild fires.

Like so many vulnerable animals they do not start breeding early, males only maturing at about four years and females at about two years old, and they generally only produce one baby per year. The young koala will stay longer with its mother if she doesn't produce each year, giving it a better start in life. The babies are born after some thirty five days, less than an inch long and weighing a minute one gram or less. They are also blind and free of fur.

As youngsters they live exclusively on mothers milk, attaching themselves to one of two teats inside the pouch, for up to seven months. After which they are additionally fed 'pap', a soft runny substance with which the mother passes on protective micro-organisms. Though the youngsters will still take mothers milk until they are twelve months old they are too fat to fit in the pouch, and begin to ride on their mothers' backs, gradually adjusting to eating leaves.

It is very sad that the wild fires currently burning have occurred towards the end of the mating season of the koala, when they are moving around more, so even greater losses can be expected. Koalas suffer from an organism, Chlamydia, which only makes them sick under severe stress. It appears to work to control the population of koalas, keeping their numbers within the 'carrying capacity' of their habitat. It makes one wonder if that might be its hidden agenda in the human population!

Unfortunately Australia has one of the highest land clearance rates in the world, and already 80% of the koala's habitat has gone. Some 80% of its remaining habitat is in private hands, often in inhabited areas and most is not covered by legislation. Roads or houses built in a koala's 'patch' can cause huge disruption leading them to cross roads in much the way badgers do in the UK, with the same sad results. Swimming pools in residential areas are also a hazard, as though they can swim they cannot climb out.

It is estimated that there may be less than 100,000 koalas left in Australia, and recent events will bring that figure down even further. Sterling work is being done by local koala groups and sanctuaries, which will be stretched to full capacity in the current situation, so I can only hope that the compassion being shown to the human victims can extend to the wildlife in the very near future.

The loss of animal and bird life will for a long time make the burnt areas seem even more forlorn, with the colourful sights gone and lively sounds stilled. May wildlife return soon to, in some part, heal the wounds.

Our thoughts are with everyone touched by this tragedy and our thanks go to everyone, professional or volunteer.

Websailor's Wacky Wildlife
World Archive

Websailor

19.02.09 Front Page

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