mishoe01

Is it a good idea to do both? Really want to cuddle w/ a koala and get a picture taken.
Thanks!
Monica

Mucky

Hi mishoe01,
We were in Taronga just last month and Wildworld 2 years ago.
The zoo's are slightly different.
The rainforest type area is certainly different to that created in Sydney.
The route to Taronga across the ferry and up a cable car (if you wish) is intersting and the views of sydney are really great from there.
Koalas cannot be held in Taronga, but you can have your picture taken with your own camera by the keeper for $3, very nice of them !
Or in Wildworld you can hold the koala for a picture (not sure of the cost these days) My daughter held a Koala and then a Boa constrictor! we have pictures to prove it.
As you may know queensland is infested with cane toads, and at wildword there was a really strange cane toad race, not sure if that still goes on.
So in conclusion both interesting in different ways and both worth seeing.

Have fun

Muck

pat_woolford

Hi - there's two schools of thought on the cuddling of koalas for photos - one is that it causes the animals too much stress, so they don't allow it. Taronga Park is a huge zoo with native and exotic animals and a stunning view over Sydney Harbour - the one at Palm Cove which changed it's name the other day from Wild World to North Cairns Zoo is far smaller and mainly has Australian native animals. Incongruous and bizarre as it may seem, Cairns Casino (in the heart of Cairns city) has turned it's glass domed top into a rainforest housing many native birds, a huge croc, several koalas and assorted rainforest creatures. You can't hold the koalas but they're only a few feet away for photos and the birds are used to humans and easy to photograph. The bright red and blue female eclectus parrot will hop on your shoulder for a photo opportunity as will the young black cockatoos.

mishoe01

Thanks for the replies - I think we may end up doing both.
Monica

DawnF

If you really want to "cuddle" a koala, you can do so in Kuranda, which is a small town that has a tiny zoo where you can do this for I think $10 to get in and then $10 to get the picture while you are holding him/her. Then they let you take as many shots with your own camara too.

We enjoyed it!

Deloris

We loved Wild World! We went there our first day of our first trip to OZ.
It was hotter than hell (October) but worth every moment. It's nonsense that koalas are stressed by being held. They are very passive creatures, due to their diet of eucalyptus(sp?) leaves and they are carefully handled by the zoologists. Don't miss it! Cuddle up And get that photo!

pat_woolford

Deloris - I have just spoken to Rainforest Habitat at Port Douglas and they definitely do no allow cuddling of koalas for photos - they will allow photos in proximity of them. They say it can cause stress to the animal and the practice does not fit with their eco-accreditation. They were quite surprised to learn that other parks in Queensland are still continuing the practice - I'll get on to the appropriate Government Dept for a ruling - can't today as it's a public holiday. I do know that koalas are not always placid - when I was a kid I climbed a tree in the school playground to get a better look at a koala and got a good swipe in the face - they do have sharp claws. Anyway, serves me right.

stevelondon88

Just to confirm, yes you can cuddle a koala at Wild World in Cairns. When we were there in October we were also allowed to get close to/touch a wombat and a baby croc. Yes, they still have the Cane Toad race, but we skipped that!

pat_woolford

Have spoken to Koala Foundation and my reply is under Sydney Trip Report dated today where the subject came up again.