@ludwigsdiana oh yes their fur is luxuriously soft and so thick - that is one of the reasons they are now nearly extinct. they were killed by the millions from the late 1800s to I think 1927 for the fur trade. they have the most waterproof pelt known
I know you don’t handle them too much because you want them to stay wild, but if you do, do they try to cling with those claws and UNintentionally hurt the handler?
@shutterbug49@gardencat oh yes they are wild, the claws can (and sometimes do) rip human skin right open, and the teeth can go right through a hand. The only time we hold one is to capture, and it has to be done by trained people to prevent injury to the person (koalas freak out at being picked up by a giant), and just as importantly, injury to the koala as their arms are really strong, but their ribs fracture like raw spaghetti.
Great question - the medicinally sedated, hand raised koalas in zoos that are used to give humans the thrill of holding one are truly not like a wild koala. They still find the situation very stressful. Patting and holding koalas is for a human thrill, not something that benefits the koala at all. Fortunately this practice is illegal in NSW, no zoo here can allow visitors to handle their koalas or pose for photos with them.
A joey that was orphaned and hand raised will allow the person who raised them to hold them, and often dig their claws in (mums fur is so dense they do hold on to her by the claws). But still if a stranger went to just pick that koala up they would get clawed in a great fear. a joey in the wild is raised by mum, and doesn't have contact with other koalas, so they don't see any human as being good for a pick up.
Great question - the medicinally sedated, hand raised koalas in zoos that are used to give humans the thrill of holding one are truly not like a wild koala. They still find the situation very stressful. Patting and holding koalas is for a human thrill, not something that benefits the koala at all. Fortunately this practice is illegal in NSW, no zoo here can allow visitors to handle their koalas or pose for photos with them.
A joey that was orphaned and hand raised will allow the person who raised them to hold them, and often dig their claws in (mums fur is so dense they do hold on to her by the claws). But still if a stranger went to just pick that koala up they would get clawed in a great fear. a joey in the wild is raised by mum, and doesn't have contact with other koalas, so they don't see any human as being good for a pick up.
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Ian