In most states of Australia, it is no longer legal to cuddle koalas. Exceptions include Queensland and South Australia, where strict rules apply and you can easily pay the equivalent of over 70 euros per person.
In Queensland, each animal is given a rest day after a maximum of three days of cuddling. Only trained handlers are allowed to place animals in and out of someone else’s arms. In addition, a koala may be removed from its natural environment for tourism purposes for a maximum of half an hour per day and in no case for more than three hours per week.
Putin and Obama kept koalas
For years, the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in tropical Queensland was a top destination for contact with eucalyptus eaters. Heads of state and government such as former US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as singer Taylor Swift and tennis player Roger Federer, travelled there. However, the sanctuary has now joined the ban, which is already in place in large parts of Australia.
Some people are very disappointed. “I won’t go there anymore if I can’t cuddle a koala,” said one regular visitor. But contact doesn’t have to be avoided completely. Animal lovers can now get up close to the koalas as they eat, sleep and relax.
20 hours of sleep per day
Opinions vary widely on whether interactions with visitors are harmful to the animals. In the wild, animals sleep for about 20 hours a day. They have a very slow metabolism and their lifestyle conserves energy after eating hard-to-digest eucalyptus leaves.
“But some close encounters force them to be awake and active for hours. Cuddling, holding or photographing a captive koala causes silent stress,” criticizes London-based animal protection organization World Animal Protection. It has launched a petition calling for a complete ban on koala cuddling in Queensland and asking the public to pressure the government to do so.
However, she replies that the requirements are already very strict and that she sees no need for action. In many other Australian states, while cuddling is prohibited, touching is allowed. “Handling of koalas by the public is limited to stroking, petting and cuddling, with only one arm placed around the koala while the animal is sitting on a firm surface,” says New South Wales. The regulation has been in place there since 1995.
Source: Krone
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