The Koala Who is our favourite? Who is the best? Who do we love above the rest? A furry bundle with shiny nose, With fluffy ears and clinging toes. Our koala is the one And when the night has just begun Eucalyptus leaves he'll eat And gumtree fairies stop to great. Jan Wade

The koala is a marsupial whose young are born very tiny and spend a lengthy period growing in the mother's pouch before becoming independent.They feed on large amounts of certain Eucalypt leaves including the Manna Gum,Grey Gum,River Gum and Sydney Blue Gum and spend as much as nineteen hours of each day sleeping. While the koala is Australia's favourite animal,it may soon become a rare sight in our bushland.Hunting,disease,feral animals and land clearing have all decreased koala numbers since European settlements. The lofty Mountain Grey Gum is found in Victoria and New South Wales.The tree is large for home gardens but is often seen in parks.When the bark is shed an attractive yellow,grey and white surface is revealed. Jan Wade

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