Can you imagine finding Sarge in YOUR backyard?!
It seems like only yesterday I was in San Diego catching up with all the people at the the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, but today I am in a very different and unique environment: North Stradbroke Island. I have written before about our work on this amazing island near Brisbane in Australia, but the most recent trip was a real eye-opener. Most of my work is centered on the remote island of St. Bees, where we don’t see any other people, and the koalas go about their business almost as if we don’t exist. On North Stradbroke Island, it seems that the locals—both koala and human—have worked out how to share their environment, at least in the small township of Amity Point.
Earlier this year we fitted four koalas at Amity Point with radio and GPS collars so we could track them and record their positions throughout the nights. Now we are recovering the collars and plotting the data, revealing a very interesting story. Far from only using the patches of trees that remain around and within the township, the koalas at Amity seem to make themselves right at home even within people’s backyards. I have included a photo of Sarge, one of the males we had collared. We found him sitting in the front yard of a house in Amity, apparently not disturbed by the occasional passing tourist. You can see the fence in the background, which leads to our next koala.
Library (so named because we first caught her in front of the local library grounds) was living right on the seaside, in the backyard of some locals who had made her transport easier by building bridges over the fences between their properties. By leaning old tree trunks up against the fences, they had created a passage for koalas to travel along, safely negotiating the urban landscape. When we caught her, we not only had several generations of residents watching us—we also found her to have a joey in her pouch.
Despite the houses, occasional shops, and frequent tourists, the koalas in Amity seem to highlight how people and koalas can share the environment. The locals are very interested in what any researchers are up to (and want to make sure we have a good reason to be catching the koalas!) and are keen to do what they can to encourage koalas to move safely through their properties. Sometimes this can be quite exciting, as one resident told us of an occasion when a koala landed on her roof, only to climb back into the tree (probably embarrassed for being clumsy), but in general the humans and koalas are co-existing in harmony.
We recovered a lot of detailed data recording where each of our koalas went, and it is clear that the residents’ yards and street trees are very important to these animals and that people who make sure the koalas can move through their properties are doing a great job in securing the future of this population. All the koalas were healthy, and each female had a joey in her pouch, which is a welcome change from some other locations in Southeast Queensland.
We will be continuing our work on North Stradbroke Island for several years to come; I am hoping we have found another haven, like St. Bees Island, where their future is a little brighter than many other places.
Bill Ellis is a Clark Endowed Postdoctoral Research Fellow for the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. Read his previous post, Urban Koalas.
What a great blog Bill. A couple of questions come to mind about this co-existance though. Have you heard of any problems with dogs? Either the dogs bothering the koala’s and vice versa. Also would the koala’s become like racoons in North America that practically knock on your back door and want to be fed?
Please keep up updated on this island’s koala’s also.
It is interesting that in the house where the people have set up the posts for koalas to get over fences, they have a dog, but they reckon they have trained it not to attack the koalas, and it seems to just sit and watch them. It was interesting, and I think they have managed to make the dog accept the koalas.
There are quite a few people with dogs in Amity, and over time we have lost a few koalas to dogs, but they seem to mostly be the dogs that get out into the bush, not so much in people’s backyards. I have a feeling that everyone knows which dog belongs to who, so there are rarely dogs running loose in Amity.
It’s great to see koalas feeling safe around people and goes to show that it can be done. A large part of it is probably that they have managed to keep a lot of big gum trees around the township, and the koalas obviously like these.
It was very funny to hear about the koala that landed on the roof, and I also had another local tell me that he had a koala that sat above his roof one night, and he had to put up with the sound of koala poop landing on his tin roof every 15 minutes or so. He found it annoying but wasn’t really upset!
Thank you so much for your answers Bill. This is exactly what we all want, to co-exist with nature. Both side flourishing and growing. I especially love the poop on the tin roof. Maybe that is the koala’s way of knocking?
Will it stay this way once all the tourists find out though, that is the big question. I sure hope so.
I am planning to come to San Diego next weekend and I would love to visit the zoo. My other son will be visiting part of the time also. I was wondering if their was an affordable package for 5 adults and a 9 month old baby for us to be able to enjoy the zoo. My son is currently active military in the U.S. Navy and it sounds like you are very supportive of the military and their families and I am obsessed with koalas so you are the place to visit. Can you help us?
Moderator’s note: Thank you for your interest in the San Diego Zoo! A complimentary 1-Day Pass at the Zoo for U.S. active duty military, cadets of their respective academies, and reserves with active orders are offered daily when the individual shows valid, active military identification at our gates. This program includes U.S. cadets who do not have “Active” on their IDs. Members of any foreign military services are excluded.
Dependent family members receive a discount of 10% off our single-day admission by showing their dependent ID at the ticket booth. The single-day admission includes the Guided Bus tour and the Express Bus and the Skyfari Aerial Tram at the Zoo. Free/discounted military admission can be arranged/purchased in person at either park.
Additionally, we work with local military bases to offer discount packages for families. Discounted single-day admission can be purchased through base MWR, (Morale Welfare and Recreation), or Ticket and Tour offices at military base locations in the United States. Please contact your base ticket office for ID requirements to purchase these tickets.
We offer a 10% AAA discount for up to six guests per card. Simply show your AAA card at any ticket window.
You may wish to consider an exclusive experience to enhance your visit to the Zoo. These tours feature up-close feeding and/or photo opportunities, behind-the-scenes visits and educational experiences. Our Reservations Department is happy to find the best fit for you and your family. The office is open daily from 8:30 a.m. at 619-718-3000 or 800-407-9534.
Thank you for your service. We look forward to your visit!