The Newest, Cutest Baby Animals from the World's Zoos & Aquariums

Kissing Koalas at Taronga Zoo

Posted in ,

Bai’yali & Holly 2

Two Koala joeys have become ‘tree-mates’ at Taronga Zoo, snacking, sniffing and snoozing side-by-side since moving away from their mothers.

Bai’yali & Holly 3

Bai’yali 3

Holly 9Photo Credits: Taronga Zoo

‘Holly’ and ‘Bai’yali’ recently moved into a “koala crèche”, where the pair has been spotted munching on eucalyptus leaves together and even sharing an occasional nose-rub to the delight of zoo visitors.

“Koalas are known to have poor eyesight, so smelling and hearing is much more important. Nose touching is a Koala greeting and a way for Koalas to determine if they’re encountering a friend or foe,” said Koala Keeper, Laura Jones.

The pairing of one-year-old Holly (whose birthday is Christmas Day) and 15-month-old Bai’yali, is designed to replicate Koala behaviors in the wild. From 12 months onwards, Koala joeys leave their mothers to find their own home ranges.

“We crèche them together so they can grow up and learn natural social behaviors without feeling threatened by the adult Koalas. It’s also nice for the joeys to have a companion while they’re making the big transition away from their mothers,” said Laura.

Laura said the female joeys would remain together for at least another year if they continue to get along.

Bai’yali & Holly 8

Bai’yali 4

Holly 3

Holly 1

Bai’yali 2

7 responses to “Kissing Koalas at Taronga Zoo”

  1. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    I feel very stupid for not being able to figure this out, but I can’t, and it’s bugging me. In the first photo after the break, the two koalas are in a tree, and there’s something else, that we can only see part of, at the top right of the photo in the tree with them. It’s about the same color as they are. What it looks like to me is a stuffed toy koala. Those look like stubby little stuffed toy animal legs without any claws. But why would there be a stuffed toy koala in a tree at a zoo? Arguably, both the real live koalas are looking at it; maybe they are as confused as I? Can anyone help?

    Reply
  2. Smartypants Avatar
    Smartypants

    Hi Michael – I was wondering too – it definitely seems to be a stuffed toy, but I don’t know why. Maybe a mom substitute for them to cuddle and feel secure?

    Reply
  3. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    Hi, Smartypants. Good guess — we’ve certainly seen plush cuddling substitutes used for hand raised baby animals in other posts — except in the text it says the reason these two are together in a “creche” is that they’ve reached the age when, in the wild, they would leave their mothers and live independently. So it seems counterproductive to have a mom substitute in their habitat now.
    FWIW, selections from this photo set were featured on Cute Overload and commenters there had the same question, agreed it looks like a stuffed toy animal (I keep putting in the word “toy” because I want to avoid anyone thinking that “stuffed animal” refers to taxidermy), and couldn’t figure out what it might be either. A mystery.
    I tried the Taronga Zoo website and found a mention of these animals, but there was less text than here, only one photo, and no explanation of the plush object. I wonder if there was more on the website than I found. The text on this site is usually taken from the zoos’ sites. Hmm.

    Reply
  4. Smartypants Avatar
    Smartypants

    Oh, you’re a Cute Overload fan too? Cool! Yes, I saw the same discussion there.
    LOL, I also was concerned about the phrase “stuffed animal” vs. “toy”.
    If I find out what it’s for, I’ll post back here.

    Reply
  5. Graycat Avatar
    Graycat

    I think it is a stuffed one. It looks like it is made out of a fiber like polyester or something instead of real fur.

    Reply
  6. Danielle Sykes Avatar
    Danielle Sykes

    I visited Holly when she was a baby, i thought I’d check up and she looks so happy, thank you for all you have done.

    Reply
  7. Yumi Avatar
    Yumi

    Hello!
    I go to Higashiyama zoo in Japan once a week to see koalas.
    Tilly ( Bai’yali’s mom ) and Holly live there.
    Do you know names of Holly’s parents and Bai’yali’s dad?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Discover more from ZooBorns

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading