Celebrities, politicians and thousands of tourists have done it for years, but based on feedback from visitors, koala cuddling is now being phased out at a Brisbane wildlife sanctuary.
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in the west of the city has announced that it will no longer offer koala holding as of Monday and will replace it with up-close experiences.
For years, the sanctuary has welcomed international sports stars, tourists and domestic travelers who have the opportunity to snuggle up to one of the sanctuary’s prized residents.
But future interaction with the koalas at the nearly 100-year-old wildlife center will now take the form of close encounters.
“The decision was made in response to increasingly strong feedback from visitors who want to spend more time with the sanctuary’s koalas and their passionate animal care team, without necessarily holding them,” Lone Pine said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Instead of koala stops, Lone Pine will introduce a new experience: koala close-ups, focusing on meaningful connections and extended time in the presence of the sanctuary’s beautiful koalas.”
According to General Manager Lyndon Discombe, the reserve is seeing increased demand for educational programs and guided experiences.
“Seeing them up close and in their wonderful natural state will hopefully make our guests love and respect them even more.”
Suzanne Milthorpe of the World Wildlife Federation Australia said it was great to see a major tourism destination taking this approach.
“Lone Pine is responding to feedback from its domestic and international visitors that highlights a growing public sentiment that is turning away from direct interactions with wildlife,” she said.
“The future of wildlife tourism is about seeing wild animals in the wild where they belong. Tourists are increasingly turning away from outdated, stressful selfie encounters. Queensland’s tourism industry must respond to these changes now.”
The sanctuary was opened in 1927 with only two koalas.