Mammoth effort for koala meal prep

Rain, hail, frost or shine, 469 individual eucalyptus tree branches are collected each week after passing an assessment. Each needs to be the perfect length of about 1.5 to 1.8 metres so the koalas can easily access and feed on the leaves.

Once carefully selected and collected, the branches are stored in a purpose-built gum fridge with rows of leaves separated into days of the week. To keep the food fresh and juicy, the gum fridge’s temperature sits between 4°C and 6°C.

Two of Healesville Sanctuary’s horticulture team dedicate two days a week – every week - to collecting eucalyptus to keep koala palates satisfied.

Healesville Sanctuary koala Keeper Craig McQueen said the eight resident koalas are provided a range of different gum leaves.

“We have a few staple species of the gum such as Manna gum, Swamp gum and River Red gum,” Mr McQueen said.

“Occasionally, the koalas receive Long Leaf Box gum or Mountain Grey gum. They don’t tend to have any strong preferences, however, when there is a more novel species of gum that often becomes the favourite for a few days.”

Eating the same thing over again is anything but boring for koalas as they are specialised feeders. They eat eucalyptus for most of their lives and also keep hydrated by eating leaves.

“Koalas need to eat a large quantity of leaves to meet their nutritional needs. The gum leaves don’t provide much energy, so when they are not eating, they spend the rest of their time digesting and sleeping.”

The large harvest of gum is collected from three local plantations, including Worawa Aboriginal College in Healesville.

Any leftover gum leaves are given to the Sanctuary’s kangaroos who loved to strip the bark, and later provided to the Sanctuary’s dingoes as a form of enrichment as an apex predator that seeks other species. Any remaining gum leaves are mulched and repurposed on the gardens across the Sanctuary.

Healesville Sanctuary’s koalas are fed at 10:30am each day. The arboreal mammal can spend up to 20 hours a day sleeping.

Koalas are classified as Vulnerable with a decreasing population according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Threats to this species in the wild include loss of habitat, climate change, road collisions and the disease Chlamydia.

You can help protect habitats for koalas and other native animals by making the switch to recycled toilet paper. To find out more information on Wipe for Wildlife visit zoo.org.au/wipe/