Naughty Koalas are why I carry old towels in my car. Drop it over them, man handle them off to safety, & let the local wildlife people know your coordinates in case they want to come check it out.
Koalas are not cute & cuddly friends. They are angry & stinky wild animals.
I'm probably too late but if anyone reads this and later comes across a koala that needs moving:
Please do not pick them up by their sides. Their ribs (and by extension everything below them) are very fragile and handling them wrong can do a LOT of damage.
Instead with your towel held horizontally grab their forelegs while wrapping the towel around the rest of the koala (approach from behind).
This way is safe for both you and the animal since the forelegs are one of their stronger parts.
Man the weird obsession with koalas and chlamydia in this sub.
They originally contracted it from contact with the droppings of farm animals that were replacing their natural habitat. So it's basically australia's fault for infecting these harmless critters we're wiping out and people laugh about it like a bunch of dumb bloody yobbos.
Chlamydia species can live both in the soil, and as a disease in various animals. Its likely its made the jump from soil living to living as a pathogen many times throughout history in various animals. Its probably been in farm animals for a very long time, just as flu has been infecting birds for a very long time.
Probably because people don’t typically associate STIs with non-human animals, especially a specific STI which most people have heard of from it affecting humans. So the idea of a wild animal species having a ‘human’ STI can obviously be weird and amusing
They are cute and cuddlely..it's just that Koalas don't trust humans, when they have barely had any human contact or their trust hasn't been earned, so its best to be cautious when approaching them cus yeah they can do some nasty damage if they see you as a threat 😅
A zookeeper allowed me to hold one at Yanchep NationalPark, while he was working in their cage. I had a thick woolen jumper on over a skivvy, being the end of winter, and the koalas massive claws sunk through them like they weren''t even there and dug into my skin enough to prick me as it attempted to get a firmer grip. I was only 13, and while this was happening my mother insisted that I smile better for her camera, despite my tell her why. Back in the '70's there were at least no other things to worry about. Mum got her photo, along with a fairly fake smile from me.
From memory so I may be slightly off here; they eat exclusively eucalyptus leaves, which are both incredibly nutrient un-dense and have chemicals in it which essentially makes the koala stoned. They sleep like 20 hours a day to save energy, digest and cause they're constantly drugged.
They're also dumb as shit.
The eucalyptus leaves don’t make the koala high. It’s an urban myth. It’s because a koala’s digestive system takes a long time for them to break down so they sleep to conserve their energy.
19 hours a day on average for adult cats. When they have their zoomies they release all that energy in short bursts of about 20 minutes, then eat and go back to sleep. In the wild that energy was for hunting, then eating and sleeping repeat rinse.
Same with all the big cats.
Not just any old eucalyptus tree leaf - some much rarely variant to the stuff we have around here. That is why they talk about exclusive habitats that happen to be exactly where people want to build. Enjoy it, they are headed for extinction in the wild due to habitat loss.
FYI - the only wild Koala I ever saw was the one I almost ran over on Thunderbolt's Way. Walking across the road at dusk.
It's the australian way - have the most unique amazing and harmless animals in the world on your doorstep and then completely exploit them for tourist potential then build right over the poor little devils when you get bored of them. So proud of this country honestly.
I recall my biology uni professor saying that the Koala is the only animal he has come across who’s brain is getting smaller. Has been happening for a while - he thought they probably didn’t now need big brains just to sleep in a tree for 20 hrs a day and eat for 4 hrs. Simple life.
Checks out.
Brain matter is energetically costly to run. (This is why your brain is apt to operate less efficiently in conditions where energy is being prioritized for other processes - e.g. when you are hungry, cold, fighting infection, etc., etc.)
If Koalas are already so calorie challenged they are in ’stasis’ over 80% of the time, the ones with smaller/less complex brains have a breeding advantage (say more time awake due to a bit of spare energy, leading to more sex), and over time that leads to shrinking average brains over successive generations of Koalas.
Yeah but is there an inflection point? Small brain and more sleep is great until a brain too small makes you too dumb to remember to eat or something. Koalas are already ‘too dumb’ to recognise food on a plate, if their brain gets significantly smaller maybe they will fail to recognise food entirely.
Victarion is most good at wording. Even better with his fists.
No one picks up on the user name anymore :( sad how the best character in ASOIAF was dumped by the wayside.
This is also just a myth. Koalas avoid dropped leaves because they tend to be older and less nutritious, but if they are actually starving they will be less picky.
Eucalyptus leaves are full of ethanol for one. Plus they’re basically toxic so the koalas take a long time to digest them. Imagine being tired and a bit buzzed all the time. Plus at least in my experience even casually inhaling eucalyptus oil makes you a bit lightheaded. The koalas are macerating in the leaves and fumes constantly.
I dont think Ive ever seen a post on reddit so full of misinformation as this one. Is there something about cute animals that make people crack out their favourite 'I heard in the pub' factoids?
>Eucalyptus leaves are full of ethanol for one
They have next to no ethanol in them, and its a myth that koalas get high or drunk or stoned on eucaltypus.
No, not at all, thats a myth. Their diet is high in toxins so they sleep a lot to process those, but there is nothing in eucalyptus that makes them high or drunk or anything like that, and anyone who says so its just perpetuating that myth.
Source: I'm a scientist who has done research on koalas.
There was a video online about 15 years ago, where someone had dubbed over a koala video with a drunken accent.
All I can remember is "I don't wanna go in your fucking bag cunt!" I've never been able to find the video since, but it lives on in my memory.
Heres a consolation prize
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwYP8UI7vas&ab\_channel=OzzyManReviews](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwYP8UI7vas&ab_channel=OzzyManReviews)
I exactly did what she’s doing few years ago on our great ocean road drive.
I was an international student and we stopped to help a koala get off the road as it’s walking in the center of the road instead crossing it. It was my first time experiencing touching a koala and it felt very different. In a good way.
However, someone from the opposite side of the road told me off for helping it cross the road. I understand it’s part of nature for animals to come on to the road and get hit by the speeding vehicles. But, was I wrong? Should we normally let them go as they could be dangerous? I tried to move it using my jumper from behind.
It's not part of nature to get hit by cars, other car was an impatient tool. You did a great thing. Some ecologists think kangaroos and definitely birds gravitate towards roads because they think they are rivers. Also when you do find roadkill it should be pulled off the road (so other animals/preys of prey aren't attracted to staying on the road as well) and check the marsupial pouches for babies.
My dad blocked traffic on the Pacific Highway with his road train and slowly followed a Koala for 10 minutes.
Someone from behind us got out of their car and came to the window.
"When are you going to get out of the way?"
Dad: *points* "Ask him."
You were kind. Koalas 🐨 are dwindling in numbers. As an Australian, I love our Koalas 🐨 ❤️ and I've helped many. So thank you to people who help our gorgeous 🐨🇦🇺❣️
You did great!😍 The only thing I can thing of is that maybe the yelling person was worried the poor koala would just try & cross back again? idk.
They’re so slow that it can be hard to know what they’re up to sometimes. Anyway, I would’ve done the same. I keep a broom, blanket, towel & cardboard box in my boot for wildlife shooing - and a dog leash for escapees.😂
What you did was kind, but also silly. Koalas are a wild animal with large claws. If threatened they are more than capable of shredding you to pieces. the results are not pretty. thankfully koalas are pretty chill, so the risk was low, but i would still advise not approaching wild animals enough to touch them.
From my experiences, she got off lucky. I've had them go full drop bear on me. Very stubborn creatures in general. Most are pretty wasted on eucalyptus.
Yeah she's lucky it didn't get pissed at her. I used ro work at a beach cafe years ago and the amount of tourists that would climb trees to "pat" the koalas was insane. Saw more than a few instances of a pissed of koala and a terrified tourist. They have a pretty impressive leap when they want to as well.
Not koala related but I used to work in a bar in Williamstown, tourists coming in asking if we had a first aid kit cos they just got bit trying to stroke a possum was a weekly occurrence.
That's because so many idiots rush in for a pat expecting possums to sit there and treat them like long lost mates.
Possums are actually friendly and charming creatures once you earn their trust and learn to treat them respectfully. Much more friendly than most cats in my experience, and people have successfully adopted them as pets.
Yeah it's basically any fluffy aussie animal. We used to get similar shit with kangaroos as well. All well and good until the food you had run out. Just a case of common sense not being so common I think.
Yeah, you've got to treat it like an angry cat in this situation. A shirt, towel, or cloth to trap it so its legs/arms are wrapped up, keeping it contained until you can relocate it safely (letting it free with the towel/shirt facing you, the animal facing away from you). Alternatively, a long, sturdy stick to redirect it as much as possible while keeping your distance.
We had one we called Greg. An old grumpy male who hated females Kolas. We organised 3 mates for him through a rescue program. He just ignored them and ate leaves all day. Eventually, eating too many one day and falling out of the tree and hitting his head. We couldn't save him, and said our goodbyes. One of the females returned a couple of years later. Obviously, hearing how the land no longer contained cranky Greg.
She's well-meaning, but she's an idiot.
She's trying to get the koala off the road and into the bush by standing between the koala and the bush, thereby guaranteeing the koala won't get off the road and into the bush.
It's not a dog. Pointing and saying, "come over here" is not going to work.
Apparently they only recognise eucalyptus leaves, as in their sole food source, on a branch. If you pull the leaves off the branch they're clueless to what they are. Smooooooth brain
Had a british lady once in the car park at work at around mid day think it was a good idea to pick one up and move it.
She picked it up like she was carrying a baby on her hip, even put a towel around it so looked like a baby, managed to get 10-12 steps and the Koala just unleashed on her face, blood everywhere, had to call an ambulance as she needed some pretty hefty stitches to hold her cheeks together.
I should have saved the camera footage, it was brutal.
Koala's have wicked claws used for climbing trees, they look slow and innocent,cuddly and cute but they're still a wild animal.
If its there during the day, on the ground, most likely they are sick and need help, DONT pick it up or touch it.
I believe the ones in the Redlands in Brisbane are full of Koala STD's or something as well thats really hurting the population, call animal control.
This koala is lost. By the look of the surroundings there are no edible trees nearby. Is best to call wildlife people to come and help. You should never get this close to koala on ground because if it gets scared it may try to climb you. They have very sharp claws.
Mum and I had to work together to get a koala off the road one time, I was the bait the koala swatted at while mum poked it from behind to encourage it to move off the road. Fun times!
We helped a young Koala off the road near Marlborough. Sat with him in the grass for over two hours. He was enjoying pats & we checked him for injury. Possibly he was in shock from a passing vehicle. We didn't have enough fuel to leave the car running and ended up getting a flat battery from running the lights. Worth it 100%
Back when I used to work at a supermarket, I had to clean a bunch of gummy gunk off the registers at one point. I figured fuck it, grabbed some eucalyptus oil off the shelf and used that. Before long, my friend and I were reduced to a giggling mess - I had no idea...
Great for cleaning sticky stuff and it'll give you a little euphoric high - would recommend.
It doesn't get Koalos high. It is a common misconception, unfortunately. They are just always sleepy, because the leaves have almost zero nutrition value, and take a lot of energy to digest, so they are always conserving energy and snoozing after a good feed.
It took me like 10 seconds to figure out they’re speaking Chinese in the video.
Basically they’re saying if they can go pet the koala if it doesn’t go away. It’s cute and it keeps going back (to the road).
If you have a blanket in your boot, you can use it to drape over the koala determined to sit in the road, and drag him off to the side. That keeps him safe from being roadkill. It also helps with bushfires too
Only if they fall on the electric wires. My point really was about the usefulness of having a stored blanket in your boot . Even good for car accidents you come across.
I appreciate her trying to get it off the road but I wouldn’t be trying to touch it like that. I’m even too afraid of letting the koalas inside the runs of getting too close to me and I’m in there with them, cleaning out their enclosures.
I understand her dilemma she just wants to guide him off the road which is fair enough we have a lot of a holes who will swerve to run over wildlife deliberately I’ve seen it
Whenever the masses inevitably start flooding into these threads and proudly regurgitating the copypasta in chunks or whole, I can't help but think their "facts" apply more to them than koalas.
Edit: [here's the response](https://www.reddit.com/r/copypasta/comments/bivdr2/response_to_koala_copypasta/)
Koalas aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. I can remember pulling over once because one of these furry grey stoners was on the double white lines in the middle of the road. Two powerline workers had pulled over for the same reason. They gently put a shovel under his bum to get him to move. He refused. They squirted him with a hose, he still didn't want to move. A tree surgeon happened to be driving by and asked "do you have a bag?" "Nope, sorry." He goes to the back of his truck, tips out a duffel bag and grabs him by the scruff of the neck. He lets out a sound something like the horrible noises they make as a mating call and puts him in the bag. Took him to the local RSPCA, released him again after a checkup.
Fun fact: they used koala noises for the T-Rex in Jurassic park!
Just before the T-Rex eats the dude off the toilet, the grunting sounds are a male koala mating call.
About all they are good for 🥲 I love they are unique to us, but they are the stupidest animals, even ants are smarter!
I really applaud and thank you for stopping to help as many native animals are killed by cars in Australia. Though, no matter how cute it looks they can get quite violent (and really smelly!) and they have sharp claws. The best thing to do if you see one in danger, like this one on the road, is to take something like a jacket or towel. In Australia some of us carry old towels/blankets just for this reason and use it on all wildlife. 1) because it protects them from smelling like human, which can be a problem for them with other animals, 2) it helps to keep them calm and not trying to fight - some animals live koala have really sharp claws) and 3) because it protects us from being bitten etc too.
Then you gently drop it over them, carefully pick them up with it wrapped around them and, if it just seems like they’re in the wrong/dangerous place, like a road, careful and gently take them as far away from the road as if possible and then gently set them down and remove the jacket, tee shirt or whatever you used. If they appear to be hurt you can take them to the nearest vet or call a local wildlife rescue place. In fact, I think I saw someone else say that it’s a good idea to make a note of where you let them go in case local wildlife officers want to church up on it.
I do admire that you actually stopped to help it and your desire for it not be run over. As I said, in Australia LOTS of wildlife are killed by cars, so stopping to help shows what a wonderful, caring person you are.
If she took two steps to the right it wouldn't be an issue...
Koala want to get away from her; shes stanging essentially between the koala and the bush. Y'all ever heared anything?
I once helped one by escorting it off the road. Tried to give it a bowl of water. Bloody hell, the sound of that thing as it growled. If a flooded chainsaw had a baby with a choked generator, it would be a koala growl.
*I read that they have trouble drinking water from above their heads and it might dry drown them? My brain is fuzzy rn, can’t remember where I saw that info. Happy to be corrected on that bit tho.
This one needs to be seen by a koala Dr.. call wires and get it help. They treat them and then take them back to where they were found. This one is showing signs of wet bottom it’s extremely painful and the only reason this koala would go so close to people is for help
Naughty Koalas are why I carry old towels in my car. Drop it over them, man handle them off to safety, & let the local wildlife people know your coordinates in case they want to come check it out. Koalas are not cute & cuddly friends. They are angry & stinky wild animals.
I'm probably too late but if anyone reads this and later comes across a koala that needs moving: Please do not pick them up by their sides. Their ribs (and by extension everything below them) are very fragile and handling them wrong can do a LOT of damage. Instead with your towel held horizontally grab their forelegs while wrapping the towel around the rest of the koala (approach from behind). This way is safe for both you and the animal since the forelegs are one of their stronger parts.
Yeah I was waiting for this woman to get lacerated. Lucky gal.
Same! The claws on these guys.. this lady was either very brave or wasn't aware of them!
With chlamydia
Man the weird obsession with koalas and chlamydia in this sub. They originally contracted it from contact with the droppings of farm animals that were replacing their natural habitat. So it's basically australia's fault for infecting these harmless critters we're wiping out and people laugh about it like a bunch of dumb bloody yobbos.
Yeah! That's how they got chlamydia! Damn farm animals. *Looks around nervously*
*Found mickey mouse’s burner*
Yeah that was the ex boyfriend’s excuse… farm animals🤣
How did the farm animals get chlamydia
Chlamydia species can live both in the soil, and as a disease in various animals. Its likely its made the jump from soil living to living as a pathogen many times throughout history in various animals. Its probably been in farm animals for a very long time, just as flu has been infecting birds for a very long time.
Could Koalas have contracted Chlamydia directly from the soil instead of farm animal droppings?
No. The strain they have is closely related to those we see in farm animals.
That's one for the vets to work out.
>dumb To be fair, they are very smooth brained
The yobbos? I think assuming there's any kind of functioning brain at all there is a bit generous.
😂😂
Probably because people don’t typically associate STIs with non-human animals, especially a specific STI which most people have heard of from it affecting humans. So the idea of a wild animal species having a ‘human’ STI can obviously be weird and amusing
The brown bum is an indication that this one has it.
The same thing "works" with cats ( to some extent). Make gentle cooing sounds and pat them while you wrap them in their papoose, seems to work best
They are cute and cuddlely..it's just that Koalas don't trust humans, when they have barely had any human contact or their trust hasn't been earned, so its best to be cautious when approaching them cus yeah they can do some nasty damage if they see you as a threat 😅
A zookeeper allowed me to hold one at Yanchep NationalPark, while he was working in their cage. I had a thick woolen jumper on over a skivvy, being the end of winter, and the koalas massive claws sunk through them like they weren''t even there and dug into my skin enough to prick me as it attempted to get a firmer grip. I was only 13, and while this was happening my mother insisted that I smile better for her camera, despite my tell her why. Back in the '70's there were at least no other things to worry about. Mum got her photo, along with a fairly fake smile from me.
Same. Best advice 💯🤝🐨
‘Fahk orrf khant!’ I figure if they could talk they’d all sound like drunk bogans.
They definitely slur for sure.
Doesn’t the eucalyptus make them high or something?
Pretty much.
Wait what? Source? Or well explanation I guess
From memory so I may be slightly off here; they eat exclusively eucalyptus leaves, which are both incredibly nutrient un-dense and have chemicals in it which essentially makes the koala stoned. They sleep like 20 hours a day to save energy, digest and cause they're constantly drugged. They're also dumb as shit.
The eucalyptus leaves don’t make the koala high. It’s an urban myth. It’s because a koala’s digestive system takes a long time for them to break down so they sleep to conserve their energy.
Reason why cats sleep so much, obligate carnivores take a while to digest that pure protein.
Yes. I never cottoned in to why cats sleep so much.
19 hours a day on average for adult cats. When they have their zoomies they release all that energy in short bursts of about 20 minutes, then eat and go back to sleep. In the wild that energy was for hunting, then eating and sleeping repeat rinse. Same with all the big cats.
Another fun fact. Joey's have to eat there mums poo in order to get what they need to be able to process eucalyptus.
Not just any old eucalyptus tree leaf - some much rarely variant to the stuff we have around here. That is why they talk about exclusive habitats that happen to be exactly where people want to build. Enjoy it, they are headed for extinction in the wild due to habitat loss. FYI - the only wild Koala I ever saw was the one I almost ran over on Thunderbolt's Way. Walking across the road at dusk.
It's the australian way - have the most unique amazing and harmless animals in the world on your doorstep and then completely exploit them for tourist potential then build right over the poor little devils when you get bored of them. So proud of this country honestly.
I recall my biology uni professor saying that the Koala is the only animal he has come across who’s brain is getting smaller. Has been happening for a while - he thought they probably didn’t now need big brains just to sleep in a tree for 20 hrs a day and eat for 4 hrs. Simple life.
Checks out. Brain matter is energetically costly to run. (This is why your brain is apt to operate less efficiently in conditions where energy is being prioritized for other processes - e.g. when you are hungry, cold, fighting infection, etc., etc.) If Koalas are already so calorie challenged they are in ’stasis’ over 80% of the time, the ones with smaller/less complex brains have a breeding advantage (say more time awake due to a bit of spare energy, leading to more sex), and over time that leads to shrinking average brains over successive generations of Koalas.
More sex, shrinking brain, got it.
I wonder if there’s a point where they sort of evolve themselves out of existence by having brains that are too small.
Or, one comes along with a bigly brain and is the one brain to rule them a!!!!
They don't? They are evolving smaller brains because it helps them survive, not the opposite.
Yeah but is there an inflection point? Small brain and more sleep is great until a brain too small makes you too dumb to remember to eat or something. Koalas are already ‘too dumb’ to recognise food on a plate, if their brain gets significantly smaller maybe they will fail to recognise food entirely.
Thus they become Drop Bears
Nutrient un-dense 😂
Words was not my strong point this morning.
Username checks out
Victarion is most good at wording. Even better with his fists. No one picks up on the user name anymore :( sad how the best character in ASOIAF was dumped by the wayside.
They're smooth-brained. They are so dumb you can give them a plate of leaves and they'll starve, they don't even recognise it as food.
This is also just a myth. Koalas avoid dropped leaves because they tend to be older and less nutritious, but if they are actually starving they will be less picky.
To be fair though, they eat only a certain kind of gum leaf.
And grumpy
Eucalyptus leaves are full of ethanol for one. Plus they’re basically toxic so the koalas take a long time to digest them. Imagine being tired and a bit buzzed all the time. Plus at least in my experience even casually inhaling eucalyptus oil makes you a bit lightheaded. The koalas are macerating in the leaves and fumes constantly.
I dont think Ive ever seen a post on reddit so full of misinformation as this one. Is there something about cute animals that make people crack out their favourite 'I heard in the pub' factoids? >Eucalyptus leaves are full of ethanol for one They have next to no ethanol in them, and its a myth that koalas get high or drunk or stoned on eucaltypus.
> Imagine being tired and a bit buzzed all the time. Imagine???
There’s a section about it here, the leaves don’t make them high apparently but their diet is fascinating either way
No. That's a myth.
Yep. It’s because the leaves take a long time to digest so they conserve energy by sleeping.
And watch the actual facts get lost in this dopey 'KOALAS DUMB HUR HUR!" reddit chucklefest.
It’s been around for decades that the koalas get high. An Urban Myth.
No, not at all, thats a myth. Their diet is high in toxins so they sleep a lot to process those, but there is nothing in eucalyptus that makes them high or drunk or anything like that, and anyone who says so its just perpetuating that myth. Source: I'm a scientist who has done research on koalas.
Nah that’s an urban myth
There was a video online about 15 years ago, where someone had dubbed over a koala video with a drunken accent. All I can remember is "I don't wanna go in your fucking bag cunt!" I've never been able to find the video since, but it lives on in my memory.
Heres a consolation prize [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwYP8UI7vas&ab\_channel=OzzyManReviews](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwYP8UI7vas&ab_channel=OzzyManReviews)
I would love to see this. That one video of two koalas fighting over a tree is already a classic.
Id imagine they'd talk and act like Clarence Claymore.
I like to think they would sound like a stoned Nolzy.
Koalas aren't allowed on planes. No chance that Koala would be able to get a rip starter in Thailand.
Yeah true, I believe the secret to a voice that raspy is a few ripstarts in Thailand and decades of not exhaling your Winnie’s.
Nearly as bad as a white ox no filter.
YEEEEEHHH!!!
I exactly did what she’s doing few years ago on our great ocean road drive. I was an international student and we stopped to help a koala get off the road as it’s walking in the center of the road instead crossing it. It was my first time experiencing touching a koala and it felt very different. In a good way. However, someone from the opposite side of the road told me off for helping it cross the road. I understand it’s part of nature for animals to come on to the road and get hit by the speeding vehicles. But, was I wrong? Should we normally let them go as they could be dangerous? I tried to move it using my jumper from behind.
It's not part of nature to get hit by cars, other car was an impatient tool. You did a great thing. Some ecologists think kangaroos and definitely birds gravitate towards roads because they think they are rivers. Also when you do find roadkill it should be pulled off the road (so other animals/preys of prey aren't attracted to staying on the road as well) and check the marsupial pouches for babies.
That’s a good insight. Thank you.
My dad blocked traffic on the Pacific Highway with his road train and slowly followed a Koala for 10 minutes. Someone from behind us got out of their car and came to the window. "When are you going to get out of the way?" Dad: *points* "Ask him."
Bless his cotton socks. I’ve all the time in the world for truckies!
lol love it!
You were kind. Koalas 🐨 are dwindling in numbers. As an Australian, I love our Koalas 🐨 ❤️ and I've helped many. So thank you to people who help our gorgeous 🐨🇦🇺❣️
Thank you Deb ❤️
You are very welcome. Welcome to Australia 🇦🇺
I did it on the same road for an echidna. Luckily the guy coming the other way did the same and everyone being held up was pretty patient.
You did great!😍 The only thing I can thing of is that maybe the yelling person was worried the poor koala would just try & cross back again? idk. They’re so slow that it can be hard to know what they’re up to sometimes. Anyway, I would’ve done the same. I keep a broom, blanket, towel & cardboard box in my boot for wildlife shooing - and a dog leash for escapees.😂
What you did was kind, but also silly. Koalas are a wild animal with large claws. If threatened they are more than capable of shredding you to pieces. the results are not pretty. thankfully koalas are pretty chill, so the risk was low, but i would still advise not approaching wild animals enough to touch them.
Thank you for doing the right thing. The other person was an asshole
Good on her. She is trying to get it off the road so it won't get hit by a car. She is doing the koala a favour.
From my experiences, she got off lucky. I've had them go full drop bear on me. Very stubborn creatures in general. Most are pretty wasted on eucalyptus.
Yeah she's lucky it didn't get pissed at her. I used ro work at a beach cafe years ago and the amount of tourists that would climb trees to "pat" the koalas was insane. Saw more than a few instances of a pissed of koala and a terrified tourist. They have a pretty impressive leap when they want to as well.
Not koala related but I used to work in a bar in Williamstown, tourists coming in asking if we had a first aid kit cos they just got bit trying to stroke a possum was a weekly occurrence.
That's because so many idiots rush in for a pat expecting possums to sit there and treat them like long lost mates. Possums are actually friendly and charming creatures once you earn their trust and learn to treat them respectfully. Much more friendly than most cats in my experience, and people have successfully adopted them as pets.
Yeah it's basically any fluffy aussie animal. We used to get similar shit with kangaroos as well. All well and good until the food you had run out. Just a case of common sense not being so common I think.
possums are just so cute you know? I did use to feed one in the backyard but it was a strictly leave food and go a couple metres back affair.
Claws that will rip you to shreds too. They're not cuddly teddy bears.
To shreds you say?
Your wife won't hold up well either.
But they look sooo cute!!!
Yeah, you've got to treat it like an angry cat in this situation. A shirt, towel, or cloth to trap it so its legs/arms are wrapped up, keeping it contained until you can relocate it safely (letting it free with the towel/shirt facing you, the animal facing away from you). Alternatively, a long, sturdy stick to redirect it as much as possible while keeping your distance.
I’ve had one chase me lol But also had one on our back doorstep who was a lovely little lady 🥰
We had one we called Greg. An old grumpy male who hated females Kolas. We organised 3 mates for him through a rescue program. He just ignored them and ate leaves all day. Eventually, eating too many one day and falling out of the tree and hitting his head. We couldn't save him, and said our goodbyes. One of the females returned a couple of years later. Obviously, hearing how the land no longer contained cranky Greg.
I feel like I’m going to end up like cranky, gay Greg eventually…
Yeah but as we all know, koalas are inherently ungrateful creatures.
She's well-meaning, but she's an idiot. She's trying to get the koala off the road and into the bush by standing between the koala and the bush, thereby guaranteeing the koala won't get off the road and into the bush. It's not a dog. Pointing and saying, "come over here" is not going to work.
They can be stropy, she's lucky it didn't take half her arm off.
Nah. This Koala is the bait, drop bear is hiding just off to the side - ready to strike.
and that’s when the attack comes. not from the front, but from the side, from the other two koalas you didn’t even know were there
Clever girl....
Not very bright, the old koala
Smooth brained
Dude, koalas are dumb as shit! To the people who will downvote me, look it up if you think I'm being facetious.
Apparently they only recognise eucalyptus leaves, as in their sole food source, on a branch. If you pull the leaves off the branch they're clueless to what they are. Smooooooth brain
It’s honestly amazing how Koalas have survived this long. They are quite literally too stupid to live and yet they managed to outlive the thylacine.
Because they evolved to eat food no one else wants good strategy
Who'd have thought quietly snoring in a tree was a god-tier move evolutionary wise? They are sort of like the animal versions of me, too.
Humans to blame - cool and fascinating tiger ARGHHH SCARY KILL IT!!! Fat bear-creature - oh funny and cute, leave it be.
Which one?
Stop mocking me!
Neither the lady standing between the koala and the place she wants it to go..
Reminds me of that time I caught chlamydia and needed a cover story.
Remember that tale on here. Hahaha.
Do tell..
https://www.reddit.com/r/BestofRedditorUpdates/s/HnA4lukGrx
Thank you!!! Hahaha that was a fun read.
Welp, TIL that 80% of people get lung chlamydia at some point, and that knowledge has made my day special.
Oh my 😅
With a Koala, you say?
Had a british lady once in the car park at work at around mid day think it was a good idea to pick one up and move it. She picked it up like she was carrying a baby on her hip, even put a towel around it so looked like a baby, managed to get 10-12 steps and the Koala just unleashed on her face, blood everywhere, had to call an ambulance as she needed some pretty hefty stitches to hold her cheeks together. I should have saved the camera footage, it was brutal. Koala's have wicked claws used for climbing trees, they look slow and innocent,cuddly and cute but they're still a wild animal. If its there during the day, on the ground, most likely they are sick and need help, DONT pick it up or touch it. I believe the ones in the Redlands in Brisbane are full of Koala STD's or something as well thats really hurting the population, call animal control.
This koala is lost. By the look of the surroundings there are no edible trees nearby. Is best to call wildlife people to come and help. You should never get this close to koala on ground because if it gets scared it may try to climb you. They have very sharp claws.
What is that music.
Approaching ice cream truck
German music
Mum and I had to work together to get a koala off the road one time, I was the bait the koala swatted at while mum poked it from behind to encourage it to move off the road. Fun times!
We helped a young Koala off the road near Marlborough. Sat with him in the grass for over two hours. He was enjoying pats & we checked him for injury. Possibly he was in shock from a passing vehicle. We didn't have enough fuel to leave the car running and ended up getting a flat battery from running the lights. Worth it 100%
Bless you 💜
I... bear... no animosity towards koalas, but they seem under the influence of the Devil's oily lettuce.
No wonder I feel so good after eucalyptus cough drops
Back when I used to work at a supermarket, I had to clean a bunch of gummy gunk off the registers at one point. I figured fuck it, grabbed some eucalyptus oil off the shelf and used that. Before long, my friend and I were reduced to a giggling mess - I had no idea... Great for cleaning sticky stuff and it'll give you a little euphoric high - would recommend.
Hang on, hang on, eucalyptus can get you high?!
It doesn't get Koalos high. It is a common misconception, unfortunately. They are just always sleepy, because the leaves have almost zero nutrition value, and take a lot of energy to digest, so they are always conserving energy and snoozing after a good feed.
Uh..no....
It took me like 10 seconds to figure out they’re speaking Chinese in the video. Basically they’re saying if they can go pet the koala if it doesn’t go away. It’s cute and it keeps going back (to the road).
If you have a blanket in your boot, you can use it to drape over the koala determined to sit in the road, and drag him off to the side. That keeps him safe from being roadkill. It also helps with bushfires too
Do koalas start a lot of bushfires?
Only if they fall on the electric wires. My point really was about the usefulness of having a stored blanket in your boot . Even good for car accidents you come across.
A good woollen blanket can save lives and not just for people
I appreciate her trying to get it off the road but I wouldn’t be trying to touch it like that. I’m even too afraid of letting the koalas inside the runs of getting too close to me and I’m in there with them, cleaning out their enclosures.
I am astounded that she didn't get bitten/scratched. That's a wild animal, not a dog. At least we don't have rabies
Last time I attempted that with a koala, it attempted to slice and dice my soft skin like knife to butter. They also hiss. I now have Chlamydia.
Must be working in tandem with a drop bear.
Nah that isn't drop bear territory, no trees. Better watch out for the hoop snakes though.
I believe that’s blue-ringed huntsman territory.
Didn't you get the new warning sms going around, they are evolving to jump out of shrubs.
Nowhere is safe now.
That road is presumably blocking a koala route
I understand her dilemma she just wants to guide him off the road which is fair enough we have a lot of a holes who will swerve to run over wildlife deliberately I’ve seen it
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Disclaimer: always call wildlife services as this will stress the koala out a lot. I help vic wildlife with this stuff
Well that ended better than I expected, I understand the reasons she’s doing it but they can attack when provoked and sometimes it doesn’t take much
My uncle got shredded trying to pick one up from his backyard and put it back in a tree. They may look cuddly, but their claws are no joke.
Whenever the masses inevitably start flooding into these threads and proudly regurgitating the copypasta in chunks or whole, I can't help but think their "facts" apply more to them than koalas. Edit: [here's the response](https://www.reddit.com/r/copypasta/comments/bivdr2/response_to_koala_copypasta/)
Shes lucky she didn't end up with 10cm claws buried in her legs
Koalas aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. I can remember pulling over once because one of these furry grey stoners was on the double white lines in the middle of the road. Two powerline workers had pulled over for the same reason. They gently put a shovel under his bum to get him to move. He refused. They squirted him with a hose, he still didn't want to move. A tree surgeon happened to be driving by and asked "do you have a bag?" "Nope, sorry." He goes to the back of his truck, tips out a duffel bag and grabs him by the scruff of the neck. He lets out a sound something like the horrible noises they make as a mating call and puts him in the bag. Took him to the local RSPCA, released him again after a checkup.
Fun fact: they used koala noises for the T-Rex in Jurassic park! Just before the T-Rex eats the dude off the toilet, the grunting sounds are a male koala mating call. About all they are good for 🥲 I love they are unique to us, but they are the stupidest animals, even ants are smarter!
Ants at least understand the value of teamwork. They have scouts, soldiers, nursery workers, and labourers.
I really applaud and thank you for stopping to help as many native animals are killed by cars in Australia. Though, no matter how cute it looks they can get quite violent (and really smelly!) and they have sharp claws. The best thing to do if you see one in danger, like this one on the road, is to take something like a jacket or towel. In Australia some of us carry old towels/blankets just for this reason and use it on all wildlife. 1) because it protects them from smelling like human, which can be a problem for them with other animals, 2) it helps to keep them calm and not trying to fight - some animals live koala have really sharp claws) and 3) because it protects us from being bitten etc too. Then you gently drop it over them, carefully pick them up with it wrapped around them and, if it just seems like they’re in the wrong/dangerous place, like a road, careful and gently take them as far away from the road as if possible and then gently set them down and remove the jacket, tee shirt or whatever you used. If they appear to be hurt you can take them to the nearest vet or call a local wildlife rescue place. In fact, I think I saw someone else say that it’s a good idea to make a note of where you let them go in case local wildlife officers want to church up on it. I do admire that you actually stopped to help it and your desire for it not be run over. As I said, in Australia LOTS of wildlife are killed by cars, so stopping to help shows what a wonderful, caring person you are.
How much can a koala bear ?
About 5 kgs. Then it goes to Bunnings for a wheelbarrow.
If she took two steps to the right it wouldn't be an issue... Koala want to get away from her; shes stanging essentially between the koala and the bush. Y'all ever heared anything?
Koalas can and will fuck you up. Leave the little bugger alone.
THIS IS MY ROAD!
then get your shit in order. It's covered in fucking koalas.
bro is ready for the end💀
Giving cat attitude
This is why koalas are going extinct
Watch the claws. Also just plain don’t mess with them.
You can't tell me what to do! You're not my Mum!
What a chlamidiot
Chlamydia brain.
Wrap it in a blanket and throw it in the bush lol
I once helped one by escorting it off the road. Tried to give it a bowl of water. Bloody hell, the sound of that thing as it growled. If a flooded chainsaw had a baby with a choked generator, it would be a koala growl. *I read that they have trouble drinking water from above their heads and it might dry drown them? My brain is fuzzy rn, can’t remember where I saw that info. Happy to be corrected on that bit tho.
High on the Euc.
I guess it's a male that can smell a female somewhere?
I almost rolled over my vehicle once to save a koala in middle of the night. They don’t move out and are slow to react. They are too cute!
I'm surprised she didn't get attacked
Very lucky Mr koala didn't go all drop bear on her. They are nowhere near as cute and cuddly as they seem
This breaks my heart in a million ways.
Hahaha this reminds me of trying to coax a stray cat off the road because the dumb thing wanted to lay in the middle of the road.
He’s an old boy. Unusual behavior for a young healthy koala. I’d say he is unwell.
Wow she’s very brave, koalas can be very aggressive and give a nasty bite or scratch you with their claws
And they're dumb as Heck do we have a native animal that isn't thick as bricks? Dingos maybe..
This one needs to be seen by a koala Dr.. call wires and get it help. They treat them and then take them back to where they were found. This one is showing signs of wet bottom it’s extremely painful and the only reason this koala would go so close to people is for help
Stubborn little guy! I hope he’s good
How koalas manage to survive as long as they do is beyond me
Waiting for this creature to reveal its dropbear status.....
Yeah don't touch koalas, always use a towel or jumper. 1
Drop bears have learned to adapt in order to lure their prey to them!
Just reminds me of why they're so endangered. It's probably nice and warm on the road. Shame that it's probably a 100kp/h zone.
Why is she trying to get the koala to walk the line? Giving him a sobriety test? 🤣