Life is exciting! New relationships, new babies, difficulties making a living, petty rivalries and major tensions – this is normal life for wild koalas. Every day is worthy of a blockbuster TV series like Game Of Thrones. Koalas live a very stimulating life as a part of a changing community. Here’s the latest from our wild koala community in the You Yangs, west of Melbourne.
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The girls:
Our leading ladies are all gorgeous, wise and ambitious!
Djadja is the youngest daughter in a dynasty of royal beauties: the Babarrang Dynasty. Like her mother, Djadja has blonde good looks, but she has something special of her own: a certain hauteur. Possibly it goes with being born into koala royalty.
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The matriarch Babarrang won’t tell us her age, but we’ve known her since 2013 and she was at least 3 years old then. So we can figure that she is 11+ years old now, and she has two daughters, Ngardang & Djadja, both in prominent positions in society – which makes Babarrang both Queen, and Queen Mother. Through all, she has retained her stunning blonde looks. She didn’t have a joey in 2020, but her little son Karrborr – who is also on this list – was born in 2019. Read about her.
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An unexpected leading lady, young Lakorra has emerged as a new talent. She is the daughter of Ngardang, and like her mother was no great beauty as a teen. But maturity is adding to her shy beauty. She is now 4 years old and staying close to mum. Read about her
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Yeera, Wemba’s daughter, is nothing like her shy mother. She is outgoing, charismatic, and fun-loving. She seems to make friends with everyone – from old man Winberry, to young Mimi her age-mate. Read about her.
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Of course, there’s our beautiful elder Pat. She’s 16 years old now, which is very very old for a koala. She has reigned supreme in the You Yangs since her mother Smoky died in 2012. Yet she still looks fantastic.
The boys:
Like any great blockbuster, our leading males are buff and handsome.
Mabo is everyone’s favourite. He strikes hilarious poses, smiles for the camera, and just lays about good-naturedly. But when he needs to, he can assert his authority – after all he has vanquished the old king Winberry from his area. Read about him.
Gulkurguli on the other hand is a brooding Iceman. He just couldn’t give a damn about us. But there’s something tremendously attractive about his sneering good looks. The lady koalas can’t get enough of him! Ngardang’s joeys Winjku & Kallama and KiKi’s joeys Mimi & Lara are all his kids. Read about him.
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The kids:
The kids all start off clinging to mum, but then their personalities start to shine through. There is nothing more adorable than a koala joey!
Karrborr, a dashing blond teen hunk, carries the good looks of his mother’s line. He is the fairest of all Babarrang’s children, and one of the palest koalas we’ve ever seen. We think his father is Bungaleenee who is also blond, which might explain it. Keep an eye on this fellow, he’s going places!
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Kallama is the fifth joey of supermum Ngardang, and another little darling. She is a brunette like her dashing dad, Gulkurguli.
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Waa is Yeera’s baby brother, and like her he is cheeky, naughty and demanding of attention. They make a charming brother-sister team! Read about him.
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The koalas’ soap opera lives are mostly very happy at the moment – good rains have ensured that their trees are in the best condition they’ve been in for a decade. There has been a lot of dispersal. Koalas are moving around, into areas they haven’t occupied for years.
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Our koala walks on Koala Conservation Days will resume after tree planting season has finished in late August. Dates for those will become available in late July. Or you can plan your own Koala Tree Planting Day + koala walk with your work team, school, or family/friends group – contact us.
Read more about the kids here: https://www.koalaclancyfoundation.org.au/good-koala-news-four-new-koala-joeys-in-2020/
