Sooky, as seen on Koala Cam.
We are thrilled about the addition of the new live Koala Cam in our interim koala exhibit as we excitedly await the opening of the new Australian Outback habitat at the San Diego Zoo. Now koala enthusiasts (including us keepers) can keep an eye on our special koala girls at all times of the day and night. We love being able to check up on just what our koalas do when we are not around. Yes, although they do sleep A LOT (18 to 20 hours a day!), we now get to know them very personally and individually. Each has a very unique and endearing history and personality. I’d like to introduce you to our sweet little family in our temporary koala exhibit.
We generally keep our females together in large enclosures. Although koalas are mostly solitary, females often remain in the same territory range as their female offspring throughout their lifetime. As keepers, we can often see the bonds that develop between our female koalas, including the special ones between mothers and daughters. This group is no exception.
Orana, 17, is our oldest koala at the Zoo right now. (Koalas in managed care generally have a lifespan of 15 to 21 years.) Orana has had nine joeys over the years, which is quite impressive. She is also one of the oldest koalas known to raise a joey, giving birth to her last joey at 14 years of age.
Orana is an exceptional mother. She is always very attentive with her joeys and offers them the best koala care. You can tell that her joeys feel very bonded to her, and sometimes they have tended to stay very close to her and remain a little more dependent for a bit longer than joeys from other mothers. Although they often may be a little too big at that point to ride on her back, she always remains patient with them and lets them cuddle up with her until they are ready to become more independent.
Orana lives in the exhibit with her two daughters, Sooky and Nariah. Sooky will be 5 years old in March; she was named by the public during a Koalapalooza event at the Zoo (see Koalapalooza: A Joey is Named). Sooky is a very good-natured koala and is very tolerant with her keepers. She is also a star and has appeared on TV several times and even flew to New York to be on the Today show. Although Sooky still occasionally makes some appearances with her keepers at special events, it is likely that very soon she may be going into semi-retirement to have a joey of her own. We can’t wait to see Sooky as a mother. I’m sure she will follow in Orana’s footsteps and be a great mom.
Nariah will be 10 years old in March. She is also a very good-natured koala with her keepers. Nariah has a joey in her pouch right now that is just over 6 months old. It is sticking its head out now regularly, and we just found out yesterday that it is a girl! This fluffy little bundle of joy now joins in with her female family line in the exhibit. It is not uncommon for other females in the exhibit to babysit other females’ joeys when the joey gets a little older. A babysitter may let the joey spend time with her and ride on her back. She will eventually return the baby back to Mom after a little while or Mom will go get it.
I’m quite sure that Orana will be a wonderful grandmother and Sooky will be a great aunt to this little one. And, I suspect that once that baby gets heavier, Nariah will welcome the opportunity to have Orana or Sooky babysit for a little while to give her back a little break.
I look forward to introducing you to more of our koalas after the opening of our new Australian Outback, scheduled for May 24! I hope you all are enjoying the new Koala Cam as much as we are. And keep an eye out for a glimpse of that joey. She is very cute!
Amy Alfrey is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
I just wanted to say that I got to see the little Joey this morning. She is so cute. Can’t wait to see her when she is out of the pouch. I watch the panda cam and the koala cam at the same time. This is when I saw the Joey stick her head out this morning. I was ever so happy. Thank you for having a cam for the koala’s
Are we always looking at Nariah on the koala cam? I don’t know how to tell the ‘ladies’ apart, thus I am not sure whether to ‘hang out’ and watch for the joey.
The koala cam does move around to different locations and we have seen it pointed at all three koalas at different times. Nariah’s joey is getting bigger now and spending more time out of the pouch cuddled up in Nariah’s belly area. Chances are if the camera is on Nariah, you will be able to see the joey (or at least an arm or a leg) at this point.
This is so new and exciting! Thank you so much for the camera and now the blogs. We are going to try to get down to SD before baby Mr. Wu and the beautiful Bai are separated. Will wait until the new Outback is ready and will still be safe on timing. Love you all at the SD Zoo!!!
thanks for sharing about the koalas. I saw a little bit of the joey in the morning, one arm and most of her head. it is a little amazing Nariah can get into a comfortable sitting position with a joey in the pouch.
is it Nariah who often sits with her bottom legs pulled up towards her chest and wraps her top “arms” around her “feet”? I’m just guessing that this position might be more protective for the joey but I’m still figuring out the different features of the koalas.
this may sound silly but I only loosely follow pop culture. when I first heard about the koalas, I wondered why they named one after the Jersey Shore character. I had to think about it for a while before realizing Sooky was not named Snooki.
The position you are seeing is actually a common position for koala moms. This is known by the keepers as the “nursing” position, which indicates to us that Nariah is nursing her joey when we see her in this position. This helps to assure us that the joey is healthy when it is fully in the pouch and we can’t see it yet.
Hi! Love the koalacam!! Been watcing the cam ever since I discovered it a few days ago! Yep, koalas are very long sleepers, but they will wake up when some noise disturbs them. Haven’t seen the joey yet, but will jeep watching the cam to see the joey out of her mom’s pouch. Gonna have fun watching these koala ladies!
Thanks!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
I like this bears they are cute
Moderator’s note: They are indeed cute, Tina, and people often call them koala bears, but please know they are not bears but pouched mammals called marsupials.
I managed to take some pictures of the joey early this morning. You can see them on my Flickr-site.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristina_a/
Kristina,
How did you manage to get pictures? I would love to grab a few snapshots but I don’t have a “camera” button.
Mary,
You ought to get a screen capture program. With it it’s really easy. You can google the programs, there are several free ones available in the net.
Thank you for the pictures
So lucky to have seen Nariah’s joey this morning, on her back for a while and then tried to get back in the pouch, almost too large to get back in there. She is so cute! I am really enjoying watching these sweet koalas and seeing them as a family!
Thank you so much for adding the Koala Cam. I found it by accident and was quite happy to see it was focused on Sooky’s exhibit. We hosted her and Kobe for a wonderful season in Phoenix and while I’m super bummed they didn’t return, I’m glad I can watch her on the cam. I’m looking forward to being at the opening of the new exhibit in May.
Thank you so much for the new cam koalas are my favorite. It is nice to able to watch them all day can’t wait to see the joey.
I saw her I saw her how cute it put a smile on my face. It looked like she want to be on the move but mom was not ready for that she was active.
Can’t wait for the new Outback area to open! I’m sure it will be wonderful. The area it will encompass looks huge; and work has been going on for a long time. Love the new Koala cam!
Moderator’s note: So glad you enjoy the koala cam!
Nariah’s joey was out this evening. she was smaller than I expected. she was also pretty active and climbed onto Nariah’s back. when the joey is out of the pouch at this age, does the mother have to stay awake? I was wondering how the joey would get back into the pouch if Nariah takes a nap (which is often). also it was around dusk so I could be mistaken but I thought the joey was nibbling on Nariah’s ears (which I’ve seen pandas and puppies do too).
Koala joeys are well equipped to hold onto their mother’s fur very tightly and to get back in the pouch when they want to. Their mom still keeps her sleeping schedule but is always aware of her joey’s whereabouts. Chances are that Nariah is not getting quite as much quality sleep, as she will wake up if she senses that her joey needs her to adjust position so that she can get back in the pouch. I’m not sure about the ear nibbling, but I wouldn’t put it past a curious little koala joey.
Yesterday I saw the joey out of the pouch til it was dark and Nariah was looking around like she wanted to get down but could not because the joey was not in the pouch. Did Nariah have to have help to get down because the joey was not in the pouch or does the joey eventually get back in the pouch? How long does the joey stay in the pouch?
Koalas generally stay in the pouch for around seven months. Nariah’s joey just turned seven months old on February 15, so she most likely won’t be spending much time in there at this point. She will begin by spending most of her time wrapped in Nariah’s arms in her belly region. As she grows a little, she will spend more time on Nariah’s back. The joey will hold onto Nariah’s fur with an extra-tight grip and will go with Nariah whereever she goes, even if it is outside of the pouch.
Moderator, when do you think you will be able to get all of the koala updates and our comments on their own koala page? That will be nice to see when you are able to do that! Was just on the cam, and there was one koala napping on the tree. Still haven’t seen a sighting of the joey yet! Will keep checking!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Happened to catch Narinda eating and her joey out and crawling all over her tonight. It was quite the sight.
Was so excited to finally see the joey a couple of nights ago and just saw all three girls together today with what looked to be a wallaby below their tree.
I second Chari’s suggestion for a dedicated page for the koalas.
Hi Amy,
Loved reading about grandmother, mothers, daughters and joey. No mention of the fathers…does he have an enclosure of his own? Could you tell us a little about the lineage of all the female koalas? Thanks so much.
Yes, I was also curious to hear a little something about the males since the females are stealing the show with this new koala cam. My little girl has heard enough about the ancestry but wants to know if the males have to stay seperated from each other cause Amy mentioned that they are normally solitary? But what she really is questioning is how do you decide on who gets to name the Joey this time and will it be held on May 24 ? She’s already thinking of different girl names as she watches the Joey on the cam.
Moderator’s note: We are planning to let koala fans vote on name suggestions. Stay tuned for details!
Koala fathers are kept in separate enclosures, as they are territorial. Currently, the rest of our koalas are all off exhibit while their new home in the Zoo’s Australian Outback is complete.
Thank you! I’m new to koala watching..I began visiting the zoo website to check for Xiao Liwu’s birth and have become a dyed in the ‘wool’ (pardon me, Mr. Woo) pandaholic. I just recently began to regularly watch the other cams… I am loving the chance to learn about and enjoy the gorgeous koalas. Is there such thing as a koalaholic? Oh dear.
I saw the Joey yesterday evening!!! So cute! Thank you so much for this new cam. Pandas and now koalas to view daily. Can’t help but make me smile even on a really bad day.
who and where is the father of the new joey?
His name is Coombah, he is 10 years old, and he lives off exhibit with the rest of our koalas while their new habitat is built.
the joey was out in the morning (Wed. 02/20/13). it was a challenging angle b/c of branches in front but the joey would peak her head out from under Nariah’s head and arm. joey sounds so masculine, maybe I’ll call her josie until she gets her real name. later in the afternoon, Nariah was eating leaves and when she reached at some angles I could peak at josie, who was working on one large leaf herself (cradled against Nariah’s chest and tummy).
there is a nice new video about 3 additional koalas that came to San Diego from Queensland. when the koalas are moved to their new exhibit, will the males always be separated from the females (with the exception of breeding periods)?
Moderator’s note: Yes.
Hello ! I am so glad that there is finally a Koala Cam out there ! I live in Ohio and the Columbus Zoo was the first zoo in Ohio to exhibit Koalas. I remember going to the Columbus Zoo and standing at the exhibit for hours waiting for them to wake up and move so I could take a photo of them. It’s great to be able to check in on your Koalas throughout the day from my home.
Hello from the NYC area! I just love this koala cam and find myself looking at it regularly most days! What a great addition! I was surprised to see on a dark night about a week ago the joey nearly managing to crawl over Nariah’s shoulder and onto her back. I hadn’t seen that at all during the days…it was really something!
We’re coming out to visit you and see the koalas in person this Saturday. Thanks to the keepers for all your hard work, and for the cam which keeps us koala-lovers connected!
Just a PS to my previous message… It would be great to have a community chat feature next to the cam! Right now, for example (9:50pm EST), it’s a very dark video streaming shot but you can see some vigorous repetitive movements on the right side of the camera! I cannot figure out what’s happening — or even if it’s actually a koala moving! But maybe someone else would have a real-time idea if we had a chat function?! Just a thought! Thanks!
Moderator’s note: Try our free San Diego Zoo app, where comments to Koala Cam (and others) post immediately.
Had to laugh when I read about the koalas sleeping a lot — oh, my! Do they ever. Seems like the only time I see them move around is in the mornings. They are so adorable. Got to see little joey this morning — quite a treat. Thanks so much for this new cam and all the info on koalas. BTW, what are the animals they share a space with? I’ve seen them moving around but can’t see what they are…
Moderator’s note: Those are parma wallabies.
I just saw one of the koala keepers putting what appeared to be eye drops into one of the koala’s eyes … does that one have an eye infection or is this something that needs to be done every once in a while??
Amy responds: Normally, koalas do not need eye drops. The koala receiving eye drops from the keeper is Orana, who is 17 years old. Her eyes do not produce quite enough tears at this point, so we help her out with some eye drops to keep her eyes from getting dry. Otherwise, she is very healthy.
There is another marsupial on the Koala cam right now, do you know who we are seeing? First time I have seen another kind of marsupial on this cam.
Moderator’s note: Parma wallabies share the koalas’ exhibit.
Asowme Cool
Once the new exhibit opens will you still have a koala cam ?? It’s been wonderful and I hope you can continue it with the new exhibit.
Moderator’s note: Absolutely!
YAY!
is the little joey (Josie is my nickname) spending most of the time outside of the pouch now? do the koalas mind rain?
Yes, the joey is spending most of its time outside of the pouch now. The koala’s fur is designed to act like a raincoat, with the rain sliding off the outer layer so that the koala’s body does not get cold and wet. That being said, I think minding the rain is up to the individual koala. Some will sit right in the rain, while others do not want any part of it.
the little Josie is out but she is tucked under Nariah’s armpit to hide away from the rain. very sweet.
The little one looks so sweet asleep ! Yesterday evening she was chowing down on eucalytpus while Nariah was sleeping.
that’s a good name you have. I am enjoying watching the little Josie (joey) out of the pouch and hanging onto Nariah. it is interesting to watch Nariah try to adjust her position with the little one hanging on and climbing around Nariah’s body.
sorry I forgot to mention that I like to watch when the adults stretch out their forepaws. they are really large and interestingly shaped (it almost reminds me of a gecko’s).
This link on the right side of this page to a video about three koalas coming over from ‘Dreamland’ in Queensland, Australia to the San Diego Zoo. Are the three koalas now on display (in the temporary area) those same three koalas from QLD? Thanks!
Moderator’s note: No, they are still in their mandatory 30-day quarantine.
Is everything ok with mom and little one … just watched a couple of keepers in with them .. they seemed to talk for a while and then checked both of them out … was it a kind of “mini” well check-up??
Moderator’s note: That was our vet and keeper, being followed by a film crew to show a “typical” day for a zoo vet.
I was wondering the same thing. It appeared they were trying to get a look at the joey.
thank you moderator … mom doesn’t seem too upset when people are near her baby …. does baby get regular check-ups like the panda cub used to? When will she start to hang out in the trees by herself .. without hanging on to mom so much?
Amy responds: Nariah is very good natured with her keepers and doesn’t mind too much when keepers check on her and her baby. Although the koala joey does not get regular formal veterinary exams like the baby panda, we keep a close eye on her and make sure she looks happy and healthy every day. She will get a first exam when she gets a little older. She will probably stay very close to Mom for a few more months until about a year old, when she will start to become more independent.
So exciting ! I’m off from work today and got to see the keepers putting in fresh eucalyptus. Awesome to see ALL four koalas awake and enjoying some eucalyptus !
I am curious, is there a dominant female koala in the group ?
Amy responds: That is great to see them all awake at once! I would say sometimes certain females may exhibit more dominant characteristics in a group situation, but with this three being a mother and her two daughters, they are all pretty respectful and non-dominant with each other.
From what I think I’ve seen so far, it seems like Nariah is more likely to allow the joey to “try new developmental things” at night — vs. the day when there’s more zoo activity. The other night I thought I even saw the joey crossing a branch alone and away from mum! Do you think this is possible? It was dark so I wasn’t 100% sure… Thanks so much!
Amy responds: Yes, the koalas are known to be more active at night, including the joeys.
Thank you, Amy!
good morning moderator, I just saw one of the koala keepers holding the adorable baby (I’m totally jealous by the way) …. and I was wondering, is their fur soft and fluffy or is it more coarse and stiff like the panda’s fur? Also, I watch the baby eating leaves .. is she really eating or just gumming them like the baby panda gums the bamboo and biscuits?
Yes, she is really eating them but may still look a little clumsy chewing because she’s still learning which are the most desirable leaves to eat. A koala’s fur is somewhat soft but also very dense. I think it feels similar to a sheep’s wool.
earlier this week Nariah’s joey was out and got into some of the cutest positions. I’m posting a few photos (4 in the set)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51947371@N07/sets/72157633130710862/
Mosaic — those are cute pics!
For my fellow koala lovers, I wanted to post what I watched this afternoon. There were two separate ‘incidents’ of the joey appearing to burrow hard into its mothers lower abdomen. It was really squirming! Each time I saw this, it lasted for at least 10 mins or so. I thought maybe the joey was trying to get back in the pouch one last time?
During this burrowing activity, Mama Nariah’s ears were flapping away! And she appeared to try to soothe the joey just a bit more than usual with gentle head/body pats.
Later this evening, just before dusk, I saw something new! The joey was sitting more than a few inches apart from Mum on a branch. First time I’ve really seen that! Maybe they had to go through a bit of a separation ritual? Don’t know…but wanted to share with you all what I saw. It seemed quite distinct. I hope maybe a keeper can comment on this at some point. Thank you!
Hi Julie,
I also saw the baby trying to burrow into mom’s lower abdomen .. I thought perhaps that she was trying to nurse … I read where the joeys will nurse up until about a year old, even if they are eating leaves on their own … However, I didn’t see the baby sitting on the branch by herself … wish I had … I just love them, they are so sweet. I especially love when mom’s ears flap … I’ve noticed that on windy days … kind of like the winds tickles her fuzzy inner-ears and makes them twitch! LOL
Thanks, Mary! Maybe you are right about nursing! I forgot about those ‘resources’ in the pouch!
The joey was not solo for very long and soon she crawled right back to mum and snuggled.
You’ve probably seen it on YouTube already but there is the cutest video clip someone posted a while back called “koala tickle.” Taken in an AU petting zoo…the poor koala is trying to sleep while a young woman is petting it. And the koala’s ears keep flapping at the disturbance! A popular video…enjoy! Thanks again.
Hi Julie,
No, I haven’t seen that video, I’m going to check it out right now …. thanks for the heads-up!
Oh My Goodness !!!!! I just watched that video … how absolutely adorable! I want to go to a park like that and be able to pet a koala and get that up close and personal …. what a lucky girl she was …. I’m jealous!
I know!!! I had that experience in AU in 2008 at I’ve been hooked ever since then! If the Zoo does analytics on Koala Cam, they are going to think I’m nuts because I’m always logged in…looking for the next cute view of my favorite balls of fur! So glad you got to see the video!
Oh, Julie, lucky you too …. is that at their zoo or a kind of safari type park? Is their fur soft (it looked like it was in the video) or is it more rough or coarse? I just love the SDZ koala ladies … I think they are my favorites … nothing beats those sweet adorable little faces!
Hi Mary!
When I got to give a koala a scratch of my own, it was in some family owned conservation park in Port Macquarie NSW area. Actually, right near there is the very famous Koala Hospital but I didn’t know about that then! Missed opportunity — would have loved to have visited there. 
But anyway I waited in line with lots of kids and adults to give Mr or Ms Koala a nuzzle. (OK, confession, I actually got in line twice because once was not enough!) I would describe the koala’s fur as between hard and soft. It’s not rough at all really…more like soft and stiff and dense. And to my utter delight, as my husband was snapping pictures of me and the koala, the koala actually leaned into my cheek and gave me what looks in a photo like a kiss! I couldn’t believe it because it hadn’t happened to any of the folks in front of me that I could see. I felt so lucky! And we caught in on camera!
Since then I’ve been a fan, not only collecting koala kitch
but also reading a lot about them. But it was you who reminded me about nursing in the pouch — thank you for that!
Have you ever seen the koalas in SDZ in person? We were there last month and I thought they are much smaller in person than what they look like on the camera…
ohhhhhh how awesome .. not only the petting part but the kiss as well … I probably would have been squealing like a little girl had that happened to me …. I also think they would have kicked me out seeing as how I would have gotten back into line a dozen times! Sadly, no, I have not been to the SDZ .. I am stuck in Michigan and have not been able to get out there .. hoping to some day … and soon, so I can also see panda cub while he is still little! Wish I could see little koala while she is still small, but she is growing like a weed! I feel bad for mom having to lug that little tank around all day!
Is San Diego zoo a good place to go when you visit San Diego?:):):):););)
Yes, she was nursing.
I know…the little one looks plenty big already! But in real life it looks smaller and less heavy. Even the adult females on the cam were only the size of basketballs (I thought) when they were curled up. Incidentally, they SLEPT practically the whole time we were there! I kept trying to mind-meld with them that one of their biggest fans was here…couldn’t they wake up for a bit?! Naw…they kept sleeping!
But doesn’t it say somewhere on the cam or the blog that the other younger female might become pregnant in the near future? I thought I remembered reading that somewhere. So maybe there will be a joey when you finally get there!
I hear also that the zoo in Columbus OH has koalas but I have never been there…yet! (We are in CT btw…)
awww, sorry, they slept the entire time … however getting to see them in any state of being awake or asleep would be a treat! I don’t recall seeing or reading anything about the younger one getting pregnant in the near future … I’ll have to do some digging in past blogs to see if it mentions anything … I’ve never been to the Columbus zoo but if they have koalas, THAT will be my next stop!
Mary — there’s a new blog post on the koalas! See you there!