Celebrities, politicians and untold thousands of tourists have done it for years but cuddling koalas at a Brisbane wildlife sanctuary is coming to an end after feedback from visitors.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary opened in the Queensland capital in 1927, and describes itself as the world’s first koala sanctuary.
Now it has announced an end to koala holding as of Monday, replacing it with “close-up” experiences instead.
The move comes as an international animal welfare organisation leads calls for koala cuddling to be officially outlawed.
Here’s what you need to know about holding koalas in Australia:
Is cuddling koalas illegal in Australia?
Depends what you mean by “cuddle”.
In all states with a koala population except Queensland and South Australia it is illegal to hold and physically support the weight of a koala, in the way you might cuddle a human baby.
It’s not illegal to touch them but the manner of doing so is strictly regulated.
For instance, in New South Wales “handling” a koala “shall be restricted to patting, stroking and cuddling to the extent of putting an arm around the koala while the animal remains on a fixed perch”.
You can get your photo taken up close with an animal at several places, for instance at Sydney Zoo. The NSW ban has been in place since 1995.
What are the rules around koala experiences in Queensland?
In Queensland it’s a different story. What the agriculture department calls “body to body handling” – direct transferring of a koala from a keeper to the body of a member of the public – is permitted under state law.
But there are still strict regulations, though they mostly apply to their human keepers.
Koalas can’t be used for photography more than three days in a row without a day off. They can only be on duty for 30 minutes a day, and 180 minutes a week. And female koalas with children cannot be used for tourist purposes. They also typically can’t be taken from the wild, only from existing populations in captivity.
It is possible to pose with the animals at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast for a $124 fee. It is also available at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary ($59) and Dreamworld ($29.95) on the Gold Coast. It is no longer possible at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, but that was a decision by the zoo itself, not a legal ban.
Why are animal advocates calling on the Queensland premier to ban koala cuddles?
London-based animal welfare group World Animal Protection says cuddling koalas is cruel and is petitioning the state government for an outright ban.
The group argues that studies show koalas are harmed “by the presence of visitors alone”, because people keep them awake longer than they would typically be in the wild, among other reasons. Koalas typically sleep about 20 hours a day.
In half an hour a koala can be passed through the arms of 20 different people, they say.
Ultimately the group wants much heavier regulation on the use of animals in captivity for entertainment, including an outright ban on breeding except “for a genuine conservation purpose”.
They also want all venues to end “any offerings that involve holding wild animals or having humans in proximity to them in a way that may cause the animals distress”.
Suzanne Milthorpe from World Animal Protection Australia said “the future of wildlife tourism is seeing wild animals in the wild where they belong”.
“Tourists are increasingly moving away from outdated, stressful selfie encounters,” she said.
“The Queensland tourism industry needs to respond to these changes now.”
What is the Queensland government’s position on koala cuddles?
A spokesperson for the Queensland premier, Steven Miles, said there was no intention of changing the law.
“The environment department has very strong regulation of when and how animals can be exhibited and animals can be held,” Miles said on Wednesday.
“I used to joke as the environment minister that our koalas have the best union around. The requirements on those koalas, how many breaks they get, all that kind of thing they’re pretty strict.”
With additional reporting by Australian Associated Press
