Lady koala not ready to bare all, gentleman koala discovers

A stoush between two residents of Brisbane’s Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary caught on video and uploaded to YouTube is actually something of a lover’s tiff, a koala expert has told ninemsn.

Karen Nilsson, head koala keeper at Lone Pine, says the behaviour is actually “very normal for breeding season,” when the animals tend be a little more “active” than usual.

In the video, which was posted online on Saturday, the pair have to be separated with a garden rake.

Apparently, the randy Mr Peabody – who is the only male at the sanctuary allowed to co-habit with females – had made unwanted advances on Elata.

The fight, Ms Nilsson said, was mere “sound and display – more of an argument than a fight”.

It seems Mr Peabody picked the wrong lady. Elata is possessed of a “big presence for a female: very self-assured, in control of her own environment,” Ms Nilsson said.

“She didn’t appreciate him being there because she’s not ready to mate. She was just trying to send him on his way.”

Despite the drama, Mr Peabody was “quite considerate,” she said.

“He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was actually a very polite little tiff. Both are 100 percent fine – no injuries whatsoever. Whatever the issue was, they’ve sorted it out and moved on.”

The rake was used because it enables the handlers to get between two koala adversaries without risk of injury.

Fights are more common among males, who operate within a hierarchy and sometimes use breeding season to move higher up within the pecking order.

Thankfully, serious injuries are rare.

“Sometimes they get little bite marks on the ears but it’s pretty minor. Once the hierarchy is established, they get on really well.”

Females are less likely to fight because they are not territorial, with the exception of breeding seasons, Ms Nilsson explained.  

“If a female wants to breed, she’ll make the advances.”

Source: YouTube
Author: Nick Alexander. Approving editor: Lachlan Williams