Would you like to meet a cute Koala?
Each year we house tennis players competing at the Australian Open.
They don’t often take time out from their busy on court schedules
to see the sights, but this year we managed a day at
Healesville Sanctuary,
a zoo specialising in Australian animals.
Here are some of their photos…
May I introduce you to this cute koala called Benny,
he is the star of the Magic Moments
at the Healesville Sanctuary.
Magic Moments are an up-close and personal experience with a animal (choice of kangaroos, koalas, dingoes and echnidnas) inside their enclosure. The Keeper is there to tell you all about the animal and answer any questions.
Whilst Kangaroos might be the iconic Australian animal, it is the koala which has the most appeal for our American guests.
Benny, is a male koala, about five years old. You can see his brown scent gland in the centre of his chest which is the bald patch on his skin.
We don’t often spot koalas in the wild. As you can see they are well camouflaged amongst the bamboo. It was a real treat to get this close to them. Not that Benny was at all perturbed by our group!
Koalas are always very laid back but Benny was particularly relaxed the day we visited. He was not putting on any show for anyone, International visiting athletes, or not!
Oh my goodness just look at that koala’s…. fingernails!
The koalas paws help with gripping and climbing…
To be continued…
Photo credits: Irina Falconi and Shelby Rogers
If you would like to read more about our involvement with the Australian Open tennis you might enjoy:
Crazy Tennis Mum – housing a tennis player
