Animal Diaries Archive

When People Resemble their Pets...

27 January 2006

Whether it is for finding koalas in the morning, trimming trees or cutting leaf for koala food, koala keepers have to become quite good climbers. We are often high up in the tops of trees, swaying in the breeze and getting some of the best views of the Zoo. With uniforms of ivory and some of our crew being quite hairy (just the boys though!), people easily mistake us for very large koalas, and the excitement of some children at the rustling leaves in the tree above soon turns to disappointment when they realise that it is just a human up there, not a giant koala!

We are, however, at a slight disadvantage. We lack the specialised hands and feet for climbing, and our fingernails just don't cut it in comparison to nice big claws. We also don't have the balance of a koala, and certainly don't dangle our arms and legs over the branches, but hold on tightly and remember not to look down. You might see a few other similarities between the koala crew and our favourite animals, but we will let you be the judge!