5 ms·

Don't reckon they're much different to other Australian wildlife and they're not cuddly like they appear or as many people like to make out. From time to time

Don't reckon they're much different to other Australian wildlife and they're not cuddly like they appear or as many people like to make out. From time to time when I was a kid my parents and relatives used to take me to places where one could cuddle them and I can tell you they're not very cuddly at all. We tend to anthropomorphize cute animals with big eyes and I reckon that's not good for conservation overall as the ugly get less attention. Moreover, how animals appear isn't a good indicator of their nature. Another well-known example is the loris, it looks really cute but it's a very bad idea to pick one up as you'll get jabbed by its poisoned barb. Best thing to do is to just look and leave them be. Koalas aren't the only animals suffering habitat loss, many are and it's a huge problem.

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rsj_hn 5y ago
> From time to time when I was a kid my parents and relatives used to take me to places where one could cuddle them and I can tell you they're not very cuddly at all +1. Would not cuddle. Australia's minister of tourism one famously proclaimed that the koala is "flea-ridden, it piddles on you, it stinks and it scratches."[4] Fun Fact: The eucalyptus that Koalas eat is a narcotic and the Koalas spend most of their lives in a drugged out stuppor[2]. Baby Koalas eat their mother's feces[1]. They sleep 18 hours a day. They have a strong musky odor. They also suffer from Chlamydia[3] and many parasites. They are nature's hippies. More seriously, all of these are evolved traits. E.g. the feces is eaten to acquire the microbes necessary to breakdown the Eucalyptus leaf. The 18 hours of sleeping is because those leaves don't have a lot of caloric content. Rather than being an evolutionary dead end in the traditional sense, their biggest problem is loss of habitat, road accidents, and encounters with dogs. I prefer the world with koalas rather than the world without, but would not cuddle or touch them them. [1] https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/controversial-science-health-news-toxicity/eucalyptus-leaves-more-delicacy-koalas https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/controversial-science-heal... [2] https://adventuressetravels.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/drug-addled-drop-bears-and-cuddly-koalas/ https://adventuressetravels.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/drug-ad... [3] https://www.livescience.com/62517-how-koalas-get-chlamydia.html https://www.livescience.com/62517-how-koalas-get-chlamydia.h... [4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/05/22/forget-the-piddling-koalas/b038a1d8-1401-45fa-afe2-432f17b2952a/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/05/22/f...
- vgeek 5y ago
  > They are nature's hippies. "Yea, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."

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rsj_hn 5y ago

> From time to time when I was a kid my parents and relatives used to take me to places where one could cuddle them and I can tell you they're not very cuddly at all +1. Would not cuddle. Australia's minister of tourism one famously proclaimed that the koala is "flea-ridden, it piddles on you, it stinks and it scratches."[4] Fun Fact: The eucalyptus that Koalas eat is a narcotic and the Koalas spend most of their lives in a drugged out stuppor[2]. Baby Koalas eat their mother's feces[1]. They sleep 18 hours a day. They have a strong musky odor. They also suffer from Chlamydia[3] and many parasites. They are nature's hippies. More seriously, all of these are evolved traits. E.g. the feces is eaten to acquire the microbes necessary to breakdown the Eucalyptus leaf. The 18 hours of sleeping is because those leaves don't have a lot of caloric content. Rather than being an evolutionary dead end in the traditional sense, their biggest problem is loss of habitat, road accidents, and encounters with dogs. I prefer the world with koalas rather than the world without, but would not cuddle or touch them them. [1] https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/controversial-science-health-news-toxicity/eucalyptus-leaves-more-delicacy-koalas https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/controversial-science-heal... [2] https://adventuressetravels.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/drug-addled-drop-bears-and-cuddly-koalas/ https://adventuressetravels.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/drug-ad... [3] https://www.livescience.com/62517-how-koalas-get-chlamydia.html https://www.livescience.com/62517-how-koalas-get-chlamydia.h... [4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/05/22/forget-the-piddling-koalas/b038a1d8-1401-45fa-afe2-432f17b2952a/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/05/22/f...

vgeek 5y ago
> They are nature's hippies. "Yea, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."