We wish that we knew why Jackaroo died, but we do not. We also don’t know exactly how long koalas live in the wild, but a good guess is that an older koala is at least ten years of age, and we have a hunch that Jackaroo was over eight years old. We’re not sure how most adult koalas die, but we do know that young joeys can be preyed upon by wedgetailed eagles and pythons. The eagles are Australia’s largest bird of prey, with a wingspan of around seven feet! Unfortunately, the biggest threat to koalas nowadays are people; koalas are often killed while slowly walking across a road. The koalas have no idea how dangerous a car can be, so sometimes they are hit by speeding drivers. They are also sometimes killed by pet dogs; when they come to the ground to move from tree to tree in some neighborhoods, dogs attack the koalas. And fires are not only dangerous to koalas, but to other Australian wildlife and to people. Many areas in Australia now are a tinderbox because of an extensive drought, so some of the koalas’ favorite places to live are going up in flames. But we are entering a new breeding season on St. Bees Island and should see some new joeys soon! So stay tuned and we will keep you up to date about our koala work in Australia and at the San Diego Zoo.

What are the predators for adult Koalas? I don’t think I have ever read much about their potential enemies or challenges other than disease, lack of food, and man.