This is sleepy Maui, our 2-year-old Koala who is mid-yawn for this photo! He joined our family in 2019 after a short trip from Kangaroo Island where he was born. He has fitted in so well with the other members of our West Oz Wildlife Koala colony and is currently in training to join our displays. Once he is a big boy he will be part of our breeding program and hopefully pass on his very handsome genes to his offspring!

FUN FACT: 
Koalas sleep for up to 20 hours a day. Where do I sign up for that?!

They are most active at night but will move around during the day as well. The reason they sleep for so much of their day is because of what they eat….. Eucalyptus leaves! These leaves are very fibrous and contain toxins so it takes a lot of energy to digest them. By sleeping so much, a koala is able to conserve their energy and can digest their leaves at the same time. They basically just eat and sleep all day! Again, where do I sign up for that?!?!?!

When they are awake and not eating, they are amazing climbers and can also jump from branch to branch as needed. They also fill in their days by grooming themselves, finding a mate if it’s breeding season, caring for their joeys and generally just being super cute!