National Geographic: Australias Animal Mysteries Page #2

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Their study area is roughly 600 acres

where 30 to 40 koalas normally live.

He's got up higher than he was

when we first saw him...

Yeah.

Okay, let's go.

Led by Dr. Greg Gordon,

the researchers have been capturing

and tagging koalas since 1971.

It is by no means a simple task.

First they must get them down.

And, as the wary animal

climbs even higher,

the pole must be extended to reach it.

This is not going to be

all that easy, Greg.

He's got to he's going to drop just

near the edge of the embankment.

Yeah, I think you're right.

Experience has taught the scientists

that the procedure is basically

safe the koala

its sturdy build and thickly padded rump

seem to protect it against the fall.

That's it. You're just below him now.

You're right below him.

Go on, drive him off.

Got him?

See, doesn't hurt him at all.

Particularly when they come down

on a branch like that.

It was a rude awakening, wasn't it.

Though easygoing by nature,

a koala may become

aggressive under stress.

The bag is a precaution against

his powerful claws and tenacious bit.

Sought for its fur in the early

decades of this century,

the slow-moving koala was hunted

to the very brink of extinction.

Today, thanks to government protection

koalas are once again secure.

Recently, however,

it this area of Queensland,

there has been a puzzling

decline in the birth rate.

By tagging the animals and

studying them over a period of years,

the scientists hope to pinpoint the cause.

In the meantime,

thorough examinations expand

their understanding of growth patterns

and general states of health.

Color-coded tags make the animal

easily identifiable

even when high in the trees.

This one was tagged originally

when still in his mother's pouch,

and much about him is already known.

Tooth wear is about the most

reliable indication of age.

This male is roughly three years old.

Now, we'll do his chest gland.

On their chests all male koalas

have a scent gland

which exudes a distinctive odor.

By rubbing the gland on tree trunks

and branches,

they announce their presence

to others in the area.

Okay, we'll go out of the sun, over here.

That sound like a good idea.

Okay, fellow.

There we are. Good as new.

He's not going to go to that tree again.

Go on.

...nasty, that one...

Momentarily disoriented after his

release from the bag,

the young koala seems unsure

of what to do next.

But within seconds he heads back

quickly to the same tree

from which he'd been captured.

Guess he proved me wrong.

He took that rather well.

Sensing only that he is safely back

where he wants to be,

the koala cannot possibly realize

how today's encounter with strangers

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