Quintessentially Australian, the koala is beloved by Aussies and the rest of the world alike. These marsupials are animals unlike any other — looking like gray teddy bears nestled among eucalyptus trees.
Check out how Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom has followed this iconic species from the classic series with Marlin Perkins to the current series, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild.
‘A Day in the Gum Tree Forest’
Koalas first appeared on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom in Season 10, Episode 1, “A Day in the Gum Tree Forest.” Viewers got an inside look at what a typical day is like for these creatures and how they interact with other species.
The episode shows koalas hanging out in the gum tree (eucalyptus) forest. Koalas rely on eucalyptus leaves as their primary source of food. Up to 50% of the leaf is water, which allows koalas to stay up in the trees for long periods of time.
Among the koala’s neighbors shown in this episode are lorikeets, sulphur-crested cockatoos, galahs, emus, kangaroos, platypuses and echidnas. Though the koala does descend from the tree, it heads back up after getting close to a kangaroo.
Koala conservation history
Since the episode’s premiere in 1971, much has happened for koala conservation. In 2012, koalas were named a vulnerable species, later upgraded to an endangered species in 2022. Today, there are between 49,000-77,000 koalas left in the wild.
The huge threat to koalas is loss of habitat. A rising human population — more than 1,000 move to Southeast Queensland each week — creates a need for more housing. And unfortunately, koala habitat is suffering. Eucalyptus forests now have smaller footprints and are more spread out. Koalas often must cross roads and venture into people’s backyards to find a safe place to live. Plus, with fewer available trees, koalas are interacting more and therefore easily spreading disease.
Protecting the Wild highlights Australia’s fight to save koalas
As an endangered species in eastern and southeastern Australia, conservationists are hard at work to protect koalas. In the Season 3 episode of Protecting the Wild, “Rescue Down Under,” Co-Hosts Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and Peter Gros travel to several rescue and rehabilitation facilities to learn more about these efforts.
The co-hosts participate in health observations, feeding koalas by tube and seeing how centers help these koalas get used to life back in the wild. They also learn about a new vaccine for chlamydia, a very common disease for koalas that affects their eyesight, kidneys and reproductive system.
Dr. Rae even gets the opportunity to help release a koala back into the wild. After snacking on some eucalyptus leaves during her 75-mile transport, the koala makes herself right at home again, scampering up a tree.
Finally, Peter learns about a unique way to protect koalas using drones. In the summer of 2019-2020, over 4,800 square miles of forest and bushland were destroyed from wildfires. Sadly, many animals could not be saved.
However, with drone technology, researchers are finding ways to spot and rescue koalas during natural disasters. Because they’re so high up in the trees, it can be difficult to spot koalas from the ground. So, teams are using AI algorithms with drones to help determine where koalas may be.
Koalas are just one of the many species Australian conservationists are protecting. For another Aussie conservation story, check out this behind-the-scenes look at the Great Barrier Reef.
