Australian Thoughts at the Weekend. 14th March , 2009.

Australian Thoughts at the Weekend. 14th March , 2009.

[Adapted from a ATAW first published 1st May, 2005]

KOALAS

I am not sure too many of you would have missed seeing Sam, the Koala on television or on the internet since the Victorian bushfires. If you did then you will find what you missed on YouTube. You can make your selection from the many choices here: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Sam+koala&aq=f

I have written elsewhere that people who are not familiar with koalas may not realise just how unusual this experience was. Koalas are not people friendly but that is not all.

Koala means “no water” in the language of the Aborigines. Koalas live on a diet of eucalytus leaves alone and they absorb moisture from the gum leaves, so rarely need to drink. In a long drought, the water content of leaves is reduced, so koalas may sometimes have to look for water to drink. You can get more information about koalas from the Australian Koala foundation who have the slogan “no tree no me”. https://www.savethekoala.com/index.html)

I heard some time ago that in southern Australia’ drought, koalas have been coming to the backyards of homes seeking water. Some have been seen drinking from a dog’s water dish and another used the “doggy door” (small flap door in the main back door which allows pet dogs and cats free access) to enter a house. People are being warned not to interfere with these animals and to protect them from attack by the family pets.

I have a lovely framed photograph on my desk of my wife, my little Swiss Mate and me with a koala called Lindsay at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on Australia’s Gold Coast. The adult koala is resting baby-like in an upright position sitting in my wife’s clasped hands with its head on my wife’s shoulder. One of its “hands” also rests on my wife’s shoulder. My Swiss Mate smiles as she feels the soft fur on the koala’s back.

My photo is one that gives a false impression of koalas. Koalas are not normally cuddly animals that enjoy resting in people’s arms. This particular photo was taken at one of the very few places where koalas can be held and photographed. Some zoos and sanctuaries do not allow contact with their koalas claiming it as it gives a false impression that koalas are cuddly pets. They also claim it stresses them and exposes them to human disease.

Koalas appear to be slow moving and sleepy. There are two main reasons for this. One is that they sleep during the day and that’s when we want to observe them. They are most active just after sunset and during the early hours of the night. The second is that they are “folivorous” eating the leaves of Eucalypt trees. These leaves are pretty low on nutrition and do not supply the energy for an over active lifestyle. As stated above these leaves also normally supply their need for water and they very rarely drink.

However, try to pick up a koala and it will very quickly become a hissing, biting, scratching bundle of fur. The koala’s main enemy was the dingo, Australia’s native dog. Today, it is more likely to be man, who is clearing its habitat for development or likely to be introduced foxes and domestic dogs. The koala was once shot for its fur but is now absolutely protected by wildlife preservation laws. Souvenir and toy koalas are made of kangaroo and sometimes rabbit fur.

In the photo my wife has something in her hands besides the koala. The koala’s carer was kind enough to provide a paper towel. The reason of course is that koalas have about the same bladder and bowel control as human babies. While we were waiting for the photographer, the carer told us that it seems to be continuous when they are awake.

As I watched a television program the other night about koalas, I noticed one of the men interviewed called them “bears” in every answer he gave. It is not uncommon to hear them referred to as koala bears but zoologists and school teachers following their notes closely will point out that koalas are not bears but are marsupials.

Marsupials are that group of animals which rear the baby after birth in the mother’s pouch. That’s right after birth. The baby grows in the mother’s womb for about 35 days and then is born (or is it birthed?) in the usual way.

The tiny baby called a "joey" is about 2 centimetres long and weighs less than 1 gram. The joey looks rather like a pink jellybean or jelly baby as it is totally hairless, blind and has no ears. The joey makes its way from the birth canal to the pouch completely unaided, relying on its already well-developed senses of smell and touch, strong forelimbs and claws and an innate sense of direction. Once inside the safety of the pouch, it attaches itself to one of the two teats, which swells to fill its mouth. This prevents the joey from being dislodged from its source of food

A "joey" remains in the mother's pouch for approximately six months drinking only mother's milk. During this time in the pouch the young koala slowly grows and develops eyes, ears, fur etc. At about 22 weeks, its eyes open and it begins to peep out of the pouch. At this time also it will begin to reach out of the pouch to supplementary feed on “pap” special mushy droppings the mother excretes.
At about 6 months the joey leaves the pouch and clings to its mother's belly to feed. Eventually it begins to feed upon fresh leaves as it rides on her back. The young koala continues to take milk from its mother until it is about a year old, but as it can no longer fit in the pouch, the mother's teat elongates to protrude from the pouch opening. Weaning occurs at one year of age. The joey will stay with the mother until it is displaced by the new year’s joey emerging from the pouch. If there is no new joey it may stay a little longer before moving away to establish its own home territory.
Koalas are very selective feeders eating only certain eucalypt leaves off particular types of eucalypt trees. The clearing of their habitat reduced their numbers but people are becoming more koala aware. In some areas people are being encouraged to plant koala feed trees in their gardens and on their farms.
There has also been suggestion that in some areas dogs should be banned or at least kept restrained at night so koalas can move around safely. Roads are also a great hazard for koalas which have no road sense and often will sit in the middle of the road when confused by car headlights. In some areas road speed limits are reduced in koala breeding season to try to preserve them from death on the road. In breeding season koalas move around much more seeking mates.
There are some islands off the coast such as Kangaroo Island in South Australia where koalas have no natural enemies and have bred to the point where they are threatened by their own over population. There is a great debate going on over the solution to this problem.
My reading tells me there used to be a lot more marsupials than there are now. North America now only has one. Australia has lost the marsupial Tasmanian Tiger in relatively recent years. Some people optimistically say they still exist but none has been seen for fifty years. Some hope that science will be able to do a “Jurrasic Park” and produce live animals from cells taken from preserved remains.
The more I look at nature the more I marvel at all the wonders of creation. Who told a jelly bean like baby koala that if it crawled through the fur on its mother’s belly it would come to the top of a pouch and in that pouch it would find a teat to suckle? Who arranged that when the baby had grown to a certain stage the droppings of the mother would change and provide mushy food containing bacteria which the baby would need in its stomach to digest eucalyptus leaves?
Whenever I come to look at nature I see the handiwork of God. There are times when I think the wonder, the intricacy of the design and the intriguing interlock of timing and events of all nature speak to me louder about creator God than a few verses in the early Chapters of my Bible.
I only learn some things about God from those initial Genesis Chapters and there is a whole Book full of revelation of God to follow. I learn there, too, of the beginnings of nature. As I discover more about nature so I discover its need for a Creator who can put the wonder of it all in place. Each animal, each bird, each reptile, frog and fish, each plant, and each other form of life has its great design, its particular environment and its relationships with the rest of creation. I understand so little of it all but what I know points me in the direction of God.

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.
30 Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 He was wiser than any other man…And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.
32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.
33 He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.
34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom. (1 Kings 4: 29- 34 New International Version).

[Listen: http://www.salvoaudio.com/audio/music3/mus_4139.mp3 ]

This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears,
All nature sings and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world,
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world,
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass, I hear him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world;
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world
The battle is not done;
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heaven be one.
Authors: Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901)
The Salvation Army Song Book: Song Number: 42

Psalm 148 (The Message)

1Hallelujah! Praise GOD from heaven,
praise him from the mountaintops;
2Praise him, all you his angels,
praise him, all you his warriors,
3Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, you morning stars;
4Praise him, high heaven,
praise him, heavenly rain clouds;
5Praise, oh let them praise the name of GOD-
he spoke the word, and there they were!

6He set them in place
from all time to eternity;
He gave his orders,
and that's it!

7Praise GOD from earth,
you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;
8Fire and hail, snow and ice,
hurricanes obeying his orders;
9Mountains and all hills,
apple orchards and cedar forests;
10Wild beasts and herds of cattle,
snakes, and birds in flight;
11Earth's kings and all races,
leaders and important people,
12Robust men and women in their prime,
and yes, greybeards and little children.

13Let them praise the name of GOD-
it's the only Name worth praising.
His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
14he's built a monument--his very own people!

Praise from all who love GOD!
Israel's children, intimate friends of GOD.

Hallelujah!


[ In preparation for Easter read a Christian book during Lent which is now. ]

Note: There will be no ATAW next Saturday, 22nd March or OzThoughts from Sunday 22nd to Friday 27th March as I will be away from the computer.
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