Australian Gold UK are proud to announce the adoption of a Orana, a two year old koala through the Australian Koala Foundation.  Orana, who will be turning three years old on the 27^th November, is a ‘distant’ relative of Australian Gold’s original koala, Sydney.

Koalas only live in Australia - where it is much warmer and sunnier than the UK (not that we are jealous) - and Orana is no different! She lives in Paradise Country, Gold Coast, which is in Queensland, the north-easterly part of Australia.

Her keepers describe her as:

“A cheeky koala with a mischievous nature. If there's a chance she'll get away with something, she's bound to give it a red hot go. 'Orana' means moon in the local Aboriginal language and even though she has outgrown her Koala peers, Orana remains agile for those unexpected and spontaneous adventures.”

 

Orana is the first part of a new Australian Gold UK initiative which will enable the Australian Koala Foundation and Paradise Country to continue their fantastic conservation work, and ultimately aid the preservation of the koalas’ natural habitat.  

It is estimated that there is between 2,000 and 8,000 koalas left in the wild.  Although not officially classified as endangered, the population of Australian koalas has dropped by 90% in less than a decade. This is due to the destruction of the koala's natural habitat, a narrow crescent on the eastern coast of Australia.

10 Facts you probably didn’t know about the Koala:

1. The koala's nickname is a Native Bear.
2. The koala bear isn’t actually a bear. It is actually a marsupial mammal and is related to kangaroos and wombats.
3. The mother’s have pouches for their young.
4. The koala cub stays in the mother's pouch for 5 months. 
5. Koalas live for 20 or more years. 
6. The koala can run as fast as a rabbit. 
7. Koalas sleep for up to 19 hours.
8. They live and sleep in the eucalyptus trees. It's hot, light and dry here.
9. Their behaviour is clumsy but they are strong swimmers. 
10. Males express territoriality during the breeding season, bellowing and grasping the base of a tree while rubbing their chest against it, thus leaving a scent marking with their chest gland

Credit: Amazing and Interesting Koala Facts by Koala Express.

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