Do Koala bears cause any harm to people?

Firstly, let's clear up one thing. Koalas are not 'bears'. They are koalas. They may look like cute little bears, but they aren't, not technically anyway. Secondly, the misnomer that koalas are dangerous probably stems from mischievous Australians making up the "drop-bear" legend in order to fool and terrorise gullible and unsuspecting tourists and have a laugh, as all Aussie's love to do.

Koalas do not drop out of trees onto people and proceed to rip out their jugulars as urban myth would have it, but it sure makes a great story and adds to the excitement of a visit to Australia, along with the chance of crocodile wrestling and riding kangaroos - other well spruiked Aussie fairytales!

Koalas are quiet, sleepy and gentle critters who exist on a low energy diet of Eucalyptus leaves. They have a very low metabolic rate and spend most of their time peacefully sleeping the day away, or at least resting motionless. Their active hours (perhaps five hours a day at most) are spent eating. Although occasionally some aggression can be shown to other koalas (mostly males) they represent absolutely no danger to people unless handled incorrectly, in which case the most harm they can do is inflict some nasty scratches. Koalas are much more vulnerable to attacks than almost any animals as they are so slow moving and have no real means of defending themselves from wild dog attacks or being harmed by idiotic, cruel and deliquent human beings.

Most koalas in captivity are handled by people experienced in native animal husbandry, who are aware of the risk of being scratched. In spite of not being renowned for being the cleverest of creatures, koala certainly show affection to handlers who have raised them as orphans, as can be seen at various WIRES (Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service) facilities, where carers nurture orphaned koalas around the clock to ensure their survival until they are old enough to be re-released or kept in specialist care parks.

In some of these wildlife parks, tourists are able to pat and sometimes hold koalas without any danger of being hurt by these gentle marsupials. Hand reared young koalas can become very attached to their handlers, and visitors to WIRES volunteer centres have been lucky enough to witness them descending from their branches to hug their handlers around the neck like small children. Koala rescuers say the gentleness that emanates from these gorgeous Australian icons is amazing, and they become very attached to their charges.

In the past years when bush fires raged throughout regions of Australia, heart warming pictures emerged of dehydrated koalas accepting water from passing cyclists, drinking from swimming pools and gratefully being doused with cool water. Dangerous to humans? Not a chance...

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