Throw Another Shrimp On The Barbie For Louisville’s Zoo’s Furry New Aussie Guests
The Louisville Zoo Announced Thursday, May 30, that two male koala’s Dharuk and Telowie are making their way to Louisville for an indefinite stay as part of a deal with the Australian government. The two will be traveling from the San Diego Zoo to Louisville this June.
The word “koala” is believed to originate from the Aboriginal Dharug language (after which Dharuk is named). The word “koala” means “no drink,” which is noteworthy due to the marsupial’s low water intake. Koalas stay hydrated through the water content in the eucalyptus leaves they eat for the majority of their diet.
Dharuk is a 2-year-old, whose name is derived from an extinct Aboriginal language from the blue mountains and 4-year-old Telowie is named for a saltbush plant in Australia and means “Old man saltbush by the waterhole.”
The two will join fellow Australian species near Glacier Run. They will be staying in a renovated habitat near Lorikeet Landing.
Dan Maloney, director of the Louisville Zoo previously worked at Melbourne Zoo in Australia and is excited to bring koalas back to Louisville. During the ‘80s and early 2000s, koalas were temporarily featured.
“Koalas are fantastic ambassadors for Australia, representing a truly unique species,” Maloney said in a release. “I am excited to see families experience our friends from the ‘Land Down Under’!”
After they arrive, the koalas will serve a standard 30-day quarantine in their space. This will enable them to be on exhibit sooner. Once the exhibit opens, they will be housed separately as koalas are territorial and solitary in the wild.
Koalas spend most of their days sleeping and feed almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves. Their supply of eucalyptus will come from one of the two eucalyptus farms in the U.S., both of whom are dedicated to serving and supplying zoos.
Koalas are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of threatened species. Their numbers are decreasing in the wild because of human development and habitat destruction.
Zoo Hours
The Zoo is open daily year-round. Spring/summer hours are 10 a.m. ─ 5 p.m. (stay until 6 p.m.). The Zoo is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The Zoo will close early on Friday, June 7, enter 10 a.m. – 2p.m. (exit by 3 p.m.). Visit louisvillezoo.org for more info.
This article appears in May 22 – Jun 4, 2024.