Joined: 22 Jan 2012 Gender: Male Posts: 1,192 Location: Indiana
06 Aug 2022, 12:38 pm
They're cute but they can be really nasty little things. People need to give wildlife space.
_________________ Diagnoses: AS, Depression, General & Social Anxiety I guess I just wasn't made for these times. - Brian Wilson
Δυνατὰ δὲ οἱ προύχοντες πράσσουσι καὶ οἱ ἀσθενεῖς ξυγχωροῦσιν. Those with power do what their power permits, and the weak can only acquiesce. - Thucydides
the only time you can cuddle a Koala is at a wildlife sanctuary even then you have to be careful and there's always a keeper nearby to make sure nothing happens.
Joined: 21 Feb 2011 Age: 56 Gender: Male Posts: 34,284
07 Aug 2022, 11:08 pm
Aprilviolets wrote:
the only time you can cuddle a Koala is at a wildlife sanctuary even then you have to be careful and there's always a keeper nearby to make sure nothing happens.
Apparently the whisper is that they sedate the koala before handing it around to tourists to take photos with. The legal costs to a wildlife park to cover an tourist injured by a cranky koala might be a reason, They defend their actions by saying the proceeds go toward koala conservation and not toward park staff salaries.
Joined: 5 Jan 2010 Age: 50 Gender: Female Posts: 11,880 Location: Lost on Earth, waddya think?
08 Aug 2022, 10:47 am
Just because an animal is cute doesn't mean it's harmless, people need to realize and respect that, and enjoy the cuteness from a distance. Even animals that are normally friendly might attack if they're sick or frightened.
I hate it when I totally sound like one of those PSAs I used to see as a kid.
I read somewhere that wild koalas can even carry chlamydia and infect you.
Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Age: 69 Gender: Male Posts: 34,095 Location: temperate zone
08 Aug 2022, 2:44 pm
Absolutely!
Thats why I am grateful that China's Xi Xang Ping, is striving so hard to rescue the world from ...cute teddy bear like creatures... because he sees them for the evil that they are!