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‘I’m not lazy, I’m just conserving energy’ is a popular catch phrase on internet and social media, and can be applied more aptly to Koala – Australia’s iconic animal. As I was pondering over what my next post should be, this funny lazy quote offered me the fodder to write one on the marsupian – more so as September is observed as ‘Save the Koala Month’ and the last Friday of the month is ‘Save the Koala Day’. A Koala – popularly called the koala bear for its teddy bear-like appearance, happens to be more popular than Kangaroo (Australia’s national animal) mainly because of its cuteness and cuddliness. Virtually tailless, koalas have stout body covered with silver grey fur, big fluffy ears and large head with button-shaped mysterious eyes. Their cuddles and hugs are a fun feast for the kids, delight for wildlife enthusiasts and sheer joy for wanderbugs. Not to mention the market for stuffed toys and cartoon characters.
Largely found in the eucalyptus forests in Australia’s southern and eastern regions, Koalas spend 18-22 hours/day just sleeping, giving them the tag of ‘lazy’. But it isn’t a choice of convenience for these tree-huggers. Koalas rely on only eucalyptus leaves for their diet (and habitat too), offering them very little nutrients thereby requiring them to conserve energy. This explains their ‘sleep-only’ mode for most part of the day. They don’t drink much water too, as the leaves provide them with most of the moisture.
Photo by David Clode via Unsplash
They are highly asocial beings, and spend just about 15-30 mins a day on social behaviors. Moreover, bonding exists only between mothers and dependant offsprings. They also need large social spaces, typically hundred trees per animal, reflective of their asocial ways of living – perhaps a positive takeaway for humans in the current times.
I was privileged to have gotten to spot the koala right at his home in Tamborine National Park , about 45 kms off Gold Coast and then get up, close and personal with cuddles and hugs at the Dreamworld – Australia’s biggest theme park. Truly, it is one of the three ‘must-do’ things in Tamborine’s hinterland – the other two being wine tasting and savouring fresh scones with cream and jam.
But sadly, these nice little furry creatures today face the threat of survival. According to the Australian Koala Foundation, the population of koalas has declined from over 10 million 200 years ago to about 85,000 now. In the 19th century, they were hunted down by European settlers for their fur. Today, their existence is at risk due to loss of habitat caused by agriculture, urbanization and bush fires. While wildlife activists, volunteering groups and animal sanctuaries are striving hard to provide alternate shelters or relocate koalas to closer woodlands, a great deal of state support is required to prevent their extinction in the near future. Unfortunately, the governments are found squabbling on koala protection laws, offering little hope for the tree climbers. Another bush fire this year and the koalas’ population will dwindle down further, hurting their social, economic and cultural significance and their adorable and iconic status Down Under. Much of the damage isn’t reversible. What I truly hope is the various conservation efforts underway along with stronger tree-clearing laws help protect their habitats and restore their peaceful slumber.