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ChaCha at the Indianapolis Zoo
Indianapolis Zoo Koalas
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Where did the Koalas come from?
The koalas are on loan from the San Diego Zoo until Labor Day 2008.
What are the koala’s names?
The koalas are named Bamba and Coombah
How old are the koalas?
Bamba is 4, Coombah is 5
How much do they eat every day?
1-1.5 lbs of eucalyptus
Where does their eucalyptus come from?
The eucalyptus comes from growers in Arizona and Florida.
How much does eucalyptus cost?
Eucalyptus is $6.00/lb. We bring in 250 lbs a week.
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Basic Koala Questions
Where do Koalas live?
Koalas live in eucalyptus forest on the east coast of Australia.
How big does a koala get?
Victoria - Females 18 lbs, Males 26 lbs
Queensland – Females 11 lbs, Males 14 lbs
Are koalas related to bears?
No, koalas are not bears. They are marsupials.
How long does a koala live?
Females – 15 years, Males – 12 years.
What does a koala eat?
The primary diet of koalas is eucalyptus leaves.
Are eucalyptus leaves intoxicating?
No, koalas sleep often because of the low nutritional value of eucalyptus.
Do koalas drink water?
Koalas get the majority of the water they need from the food they eat.
How much do koalas sleep?
Koalas sleep 18-22 hours a day.
How long is koala gestation?
35 days
How big is a koala baby?
At birth, a koala baby is the size of a jellybean.
What are koala babies called?
A koala baby is called a joey
How long do koalas stay in the pouch?
6 – 8 months
How many babies do koalas have at once?
1 (twins are rare)
When do koala babies become independent?
12 months
When do koalas become sexually mature?
2 years
Do koalas make noise?
Yes, male koalas will bellow. This sounds similar to the bray of a donkey.
Are koalas endangered?
No, koalas are not on the endangered species list
Other North American zoos that have koalas
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland, OH
Houston Zoo, Houston, TX
Los Angeles, Zoo, Los Angeles, CA
San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA
San Franciso Zoo, San Franciso, CA
Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens, Columbia, SC
Koala Myth and Legend
Why koala has a short tail – Koala and tree kangaroo were very thirsty because there was no water. Tree kangaroo suggested together they dig a well to find water. Tree kangaroo does all of the digging while koala sleeps in a tree. When tree kangaroo finds water koala wakes up and drinks the water before tree kangaroo can have any. While trying to keep koala from drinking all of the water, tree kangaroo pulls on koala’s tail and breaks it. That is why koalas have a short tail.
Koobor and the Great Thirst – A young boy named Koobor is treated poorly by the people in his village. They neglected him often and would not give him any water. When the villagers would go out to look for food they would even hide water from Koobor. One day, the villagers left in search for food and forgot to hide the water. Koobor took the water up into the trees and when the villagers returned they were very angry. They were so angry eventually they knocked Koobor out of the tree to the ground. The villagers thought he was dead, but Koobor sprang from the ground and turned into a koala. The villagers were very sorry for the way they had treated Koobor and granted Koobor the responsibility of making laws. Koobor declared that aboriginal people must treat the koala with respect or he would cause a drought in the land and he would not suffer because koalas do not need to drink water.
Resources
Australia Koala Foundation
www.savethekoalas.com
National Koala Conservation Strategy
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/koala-strategy/index.html
Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia Inc.
http://www.wpsa.org.au/
Friends of the Koala, Inc.
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~koalas/
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