koala exhibit

August 25, 2012.

This new exhibit seems to be identical to many other koala enclosures in American zoos, except for the wooden backdrop in the glass-fronted exhibits.

Yes it is like many others - boring. Just like the animals it displays.

(I am curious to see what San Diego will come up with in their new area currently under construction. So far the only good koala exhibit I have seen is Albuquerque.)

Why do so many northern hemisphere zoos display their koalas indoors? They're pretty hardy and I wouldn't imagine them stressing because of crowds easily (even in the wild they seem unfazed when there are people around).

Many of these zoos are in areas that get a lot colder than koala range in Australia does. In Texas it gets very hot and humid (Houston Zoo had their koalas inside too when they had them), more so than wild koala range, so probably they want to make sure that they are shielded from weather extremes (which do still occur in Australia as you point out Pat, but maybe not to the degree that they do in many of these zoos).

Because that's what the SDZ require on the loan agreement. They provide the exhibit design specifications.

The best koala exhibit in the U.S. is probally the Columbus Zoo's exhibit. They Probally have the best indoors too.

Which is why Rio Grande Zoo has an interesting exhibit. Their koalas don't belong to San Diego.

(Also of note is the fact that they are the only Victoria koalas in the US)

I thought the Koalas in South Carolina weren't of SD descent either.

True. Other non San Diego koalas include Riverbanks and Los Angeles. There is I believe one other, but I don't recall which.