@ludwigsdiana oh no, these are wild animals with very sharp claws and teeth. koalas are very stressed by any contact with humans and as they don't socialise physically in colonies, they find human contact particularly distressing.
this is the reason he was in hospital for 2 months - not because the wound was so serious, but because he became so stressed from being in captivity and being handled and so all kinds of complications set in (his gut stopped working and he nearly died).
QLD (I'm in NSW) is one of the few places it is legal for zoos to allow captive koalas to be held for photos for tourists. Each koala must be sedated to cope with the stress, and are only able to be photographed for 20 minutes at a time. The lifespan of these animals is greatly shortened due to the stress of being handled.
Koalas are undoubtedly one of the cutest animals to look at, and they seem so cuddly and evoke this desire in people. Sadly it is the last thing they want. There are a few koalas who are 'celebrities' on the internet, but they are only really handled by one person who raised them from a joey, and what we never see is even then, they can only handle the koala for a very short time before it becomes stressed even with a handler it knows well. It is easy to form an impression with video that lasts 30 - 90 seconds.
Working in rescue and rehabilitation with them I can assure you we all have our scars and stories. But they are stunningly beautiful indeed!
He looks so alert and healthy! Three cheers for Bullet! Also to you, because you got him into medical care, and then home! And everything in between :)
April 12th, 2019
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this is the reason he was in hospital for 2 months - not because the wound was so serious, but because he became so stressed from being in captivity and being handled and so all kinds of complications set in (his gut stopped working and he nearly died).
QLD (I'm in NSW) is one of the few places it is legal for zoos to allow captive koalas to be held for photos for tourists. Each koala must be sedated to cope with the stress, and are only able to be photographed for 20 minutes at a time. The lifespan of these animals is greatly shortened due to the stress of being handled.
Koalas are undoubtedly one of the cutest animals to look at, and they seem so cuddly and evoke this desire in people. Sadly it is the last thing they want. There are a few koalas who are 'celebrities' on the internet, but they are only really handled by one person who raised them from a joey, and what we never see is even then, they can only handle the koala for a very short time before it becomes stressed even with a handler it knows well. It is easy to form an impression with video that lasts 30 - 90 seconds.
Working in rescue and rehabilitation with them I can assure you we all have our scars and stories. But they are stunningly beautiful indeed!