I remember a teacher once describing how you eat peas with manners – I’m afraid to say it wasn’t a lesson I took too seriously and to this day I could not tell you the correct etiquette for eating a pea or two politely.
Nonetheless there are definitely a few koala etiquette suggestions (not the eating kind, or the how do you keep them on your fork, let alone plate, kind either), to avoid causing them stress around town or in nature.
With spring in the air and summer on its way there is definitely movement in the koala world. Young males move around to find mates and territories, koalas move between trees and dispersing young males, scared when disturbed by people or dogs, might end up in a small non-food tree.
The Northern Rivers is home to many wild koala populations. Koalas are listed as an endangered species and there are numerous colonies living in urban areas like Goonellabah, East Lismore, Byron Bay, Suffolk Park, Broadwater, and Rileys Hill. So it is not unusual to see a koala when you’re driving on a road, walking along a footpath, or going for a bit of a nature adventure.
Seeing a wild koala can be exciting and a wonderful experience; however, it can also cause unnecessary stress to the koala. So Friends of the Koala (FOK) have provided a few suggestions on how to enjoy seeing a koala in the wild without stressing it out.
Here’s the drop bear etiquette:
• Move away from a koala on the ground, on a fence post or up a powerpole – observe from a distance of more than 30m, let the koala move on.
• Stay on the formed tracks and paths.
• Don’t walk around under a tree with a koala in it.
• Watch koalas in a tree from a distance – stay at least 5m, preferably 10m from a tree with a koala in it.
• Be quiet and move slowly.
• Do not try to touch a koala – they are wild and will bite and scratch.
• Resist getting a koala’s attention by making noises, throwing something, or tapping the tree.
• Avoid touching or climbing a tree with a koala in it.
If you see a koala please report a sighting on the FOK webpage (https://friendsofthekoala.org). If the koala is in an unusual place or on the ground at the base of a tree, or may have been hit by a car or in contact with a dog, please contact FOK Rescue Hotline on 6622 1233 for advice.
Aslan Shand, editor
News tips are welcome: [email protected]
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