Koala Sanctuary

In January I got the opportunity to go to Brisbane, Australia for a few days. When we were there we went to a Koala Sanctuary. After arriving at the sanctuary we saw many different animals such as birds, fruit bats, iguanas, kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, platypus, dingos, and many beautiful birds.  There were multiple koalas sleeping on Eucalyptus trees when we first entered. I learned that they are nocturnal animals which explains why they were so sleepy. They had over 100 koalas there and were able to keep them living a few years longer than koalas living in the wild. Currently Koalas are losing their habitat and are considered to be at a vulnerable status in Australia. This means that they are not officially endangered yet but they are decreasing fast.

Some other animals we got to interact with were kangaroos and wallabies. We got to feed and pet them. I was surprised at how calm and friendly they were. I couldn't believe how muscular the kangaroos back legs were. My favorite thing we saw was when the mom kangaroo would hop around with the little Joey in her pouch. It was so different than what I pictured. They don't actually sit perfectly inside. Their legs stick out and look like they almost don't fit.

This experience was extremely fun and informative. There wasn't really any technology used because everything was mainly outside and all about interacting with the animals. The sanctuary workers were readily available to ask questions and tell us facts about the animals. You could tell they cared a lot about the them. The most helpful experience was when the workers would do shows.  They had scheduled show times which consisted of feedings that we were able to watch. As they fed them they would teach us about the animals. The most interesting animal to watch eat was the Tasmanian Devil. I learned that they eat everything like small whole animals, including bones and all! I definitely lost my appetite after watching them eat. Overall, the koala sanctuary was an experience I will never forget.