Ooh dear , he does need a hair dryer Do Koalas shake their bodies to shake off the rain ( like dogs do ) or just let the elements deal with the soggy fur !
@kchuk@fbailey@samae Unless the ear tag somehow gets ripped out (unlikely), yes he will always have it :)
Bullet has an ear tag because he was bitten by a dog earlier this year. The wound became an abscess that blew out and I had to catch him and he spent 2 months in a wildlife hospital. When a koala is taken into care, it is always tagged before release. He also has a microchip, but of course we don't get to see that ;)
All the koalas on my property are wild koalas. Bullet has a tag, and one other koala here, Greta, also has a tag because she was taken into care for an eye problem about 3 years ago. She is rarely seen on the property, but she did pop back in with a joey again this year.
@beryl@samae koala coats are incredibly water resistant. unfortunately that was one of the traits that made their pelts so popular, causing millions to be killed for the fur trade, and therefore began the terrible decline that has them marching fast towards extinction.
So water does not tend to soak in through that dense fur well at all. Koalas tend to roll into a ball with their faces tucked right in and the rain pretty much just rolls off them.
They will shake their heads as their ears oddly enough seem to hold the most water! I have never seen one do a full body shake like a dog, just a head/shoulder shake.
What great questions - thanks for being so involved with my photos, I love it :)
@koalagardens Thanks for your full and explanatory answer I knew from your earlier info that their fur was very dense ( and beautiful ) but didn't know the reason for the need of their protection ( man has a lot to answer for ! ) Then using my common sense se never see our sheep shaking themselves - but nice to know ! Thanks !
A great shot and lots of interesting information. I appreciated your comments on koalas in captivity and zoos in general. It’s so wrong bringing koalas to the other side of the world. All that money and effort should be spent preserving and recreating habitat in their own country where they belong and where the climate and food suit them. We don’t need zoos. We have amazing wildlife photographers who can film wild animals in their natural habitat and we can watch them on TV. I too have a high horse. We should ride them together sometime KG, we have a lot in common 😊.
Bullet has an ear tag because he was bitten by a dog earlier this year. The wound became an abscess that blew out and I had to catch him and he spent 2 months in a wildlife hospital. When a koala is taken into care, it is always tagged before release. He also has a microchip, but of course we don't get to see that ;)
All the koalas on my property are wild koalas. Bullet has a tag, and one other koala here, Greta, also has a tag because she was taken into care for an eye problem about 3 years ago. She is rarely seen on the property, but she did pop back in with a joey again this year.
So water does not tend to soak in through that dense fur well at all. Koalas tend to roll into a ball with their faces tucked right in and the rain pretty much just rolls off them.
They will shake their heads as their ears oddly enough seem to hold the most water! I have never seen one do a full body shake like a dog, just a head/shoulder shake.
What great questions - thanks for being so involved with my photos, I love it :)