Chicagoans will soon get a rare chance to meet two new mates from “down under” at Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
Visitors can see two 2-year-old koalas, named Brumby and Willum, for the first time in the zoo’s history, starting Memorial Day weekend. The male koalas, which are on a two-year loan from the Australian government, will find their new home in the Hamill Family Play Zoo. The koalas will likely arrive at the zoo in early May, the zoo said.
“Besides koalas being one of the cutest animals on the planet, our guests will get an up-close and personal experience with koalas. They are sort of the iconic Australian marsupial,” said Mark Wanner, associate vice president of animal care and conservation at Brookfield Zoo.
Brookfield Zoo is one of 11 accredited zoological facilities in North America where the public can see and interact with koalas.
The zoo needs to go to some lengths to accommodate Brumby and Willum. Twice a week, the zoo will receive a rotation of different species of fresh eucalyptus leaves for the pair, sourced from a vendor in the United States. While other species eat a variety of foods, koalas eat strictly eucalyptus, so the zoo has to ensure the leaves’ quality, Wanner noted.
“They do prefer some eucalyptus over others,” Wanner said. “It just depends on the individual tastes or the leaves themselves.”
Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous to most animals, but koalas have special gut bacteria that break down the leaves, extracting water and nutrients. Digesting their food requires a lot of energy, though; koalas spend as much as 18-22 hours a day sleeping in trees to conserve energy, according to the zoo.
The koalas will be placed in the former lemur habitat, which the zoo has retrofitted to be more koala-friendly. (The lemurs were moved to an old habitat for fishing cats that was modified for their use.)
And Wanner says that each koala will have its own indoor habitat, adjoined with an outdoor one they can use during warmer months.
“When our weather is fantastic — late spring, summer, early fall, more than likely, they will be outside with the option to come in,” Wanner said. “During the winter, we will keep them inside in their indoor habitats, which will also have viewing availability.”
They won’t interact, though. Male koalas of breeding age are normally solitary in the wild. They would fight if they were housed together, according to Wanner.
Koalas are listed as a “vulnerable” species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Australia. The species faces threats, including deforestation, bushfires, disease and drought.
Though there had been discussions of bringing koalas in the past, the timing and finances weren’t right, according to Wanner.
But with this two-year loan, the zoo wants to “see how things go,” Wanner said.
“We do have a long history with Australian species care, welfare and conservation,” Wanner said. “This is a nice tie in and we’re really excited to be able to introduce koalas to our guests.”
