Photo: Supplied.
RANGER STACEY THOMSON IS PRINCIPAL ADVISER – COMMUNITY EDUCATION (REDLAND CITY COUNCIL)
How would you describe nature in a single word? Adjectives like beautiful, inspiring, calming, resilient, and breathtaking all come to my mind…but never the word boring.
There is always something wonderful to discover, perhaps a natural phenomenon close to home in our local environment, like koala dispersal season!
Koala movement is happening now until around December. Fluffy, football-sized, bulbous-nosed youngsters (around 15 to 18 months old) are leaving the cuddly embrace of mum to find their own home range.
With so much ahead of them at such a tender age, these young explorers have already experienced major developmental milestones. It astounds me to know that life for these icons of the animal kingdom begins after a gestation period of just 35 days.
From the moment the jellybean-sized joey is born, the mother’s pouch is a safe, warm haven. The newborn is blind, hairless and earless, however strong forearms and a keen sense of smell and touch guide the little one into the pouch where the joey attaches to a teat to grow and develop.
After six months of pouch life, the super cute joey begins to emerge. Then, something quite remarkable happens! To transition from milk to eucalypt leaves, which contain difficult-to-digest toxins, the joey consumes pap – a soft, runny specialised poop produced by the koala mum. Yep, it may sound gross, but pap contains crucial live bacteria that prepare the gut for a lifetime diet of gum leaves.
As the joey grows, it rides on its mother’s back, sampling leaves along the way. The developmental journey of a joey koala is a fascinating one.
So now that dispersal season has arrived, our adventurous youngsters are out and about. They sometimes appear in surprising places, including urban settings, so please keep an eye out for these precious intrepid travellers.
We can help by driving carefully on the roads, keeping pets secured and providing backyard and pool escapes for wildlife. If you spot a sick or injured koala, call Redlands 24-hour Wildlife Rescue Service on 3833 4031.
Until next time … stay wild!
