Edinburgh Zoo has appealed for funds to create a new purpose-built home for the UK’s only Queensland koalas.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) attraction is currently home to two female koalas, named Talara and Myaree.
Plans are now in place for a new £600,000 home for the species, which is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Building will start this summer on the site of their original home, with Talara and Myaree currently lodging in a former giant panda house at the zoo while preparations are underway.
The new purpose-built residence will feature four indoor areas and three outdoor spaces for the rare marsupials, providing separate areas for female group living and solo males, mirroring their natural behaviours.
Each indoor space will have its own outdoor area, while an indoor off-show area will offer “a quiet space for privacy and breeding” once males are introduced.
Surrounding landscaping will be designed to mirror the animals’ natural habitat, while new energy routing will allow the site to be powered by the zoo’s solar meadow.
The Zoo promises the new koala home will have “everything they need to thrive” with “plenty of outdoor space, lots of native plants and thoughtfully designed indoor areas where the koalas can enjoy one of their favourite activities, sleeping”.
Supporters are being asked to donate towards the project for one of its “flagship” and most beloved species. Those who give £50 or more will see their name featured on donor boards at the koalas’ new home.
According to the appeal, £50 will help provide native plants for the new habitat, with £100 helping create natural resting spaces and £250 helping fund specially designed outdoor areas.
The koalas’ original home had supported years of successful koala care and breeding, but was subject to increasing maintenance costs and the new-build is seen as “futureproofing”.
The RZSS has been part of the international breeding programme for the species for over a decade. However, there has been no male since six-year-old Tanami died in 2023, preventing them from continuing breeding the much-loved marsupials.
There are plans to introduce new male koalas once the animals are fully settled in their new home.
Ben Supple, RZSS Deputy CEO, said: “The new investment into the koala habitat is an exciting step for our charity.
“We are creating a truly engaging experience that brings people closer to the species than ever before, inspiring a deeper understanding of these incredible animals. The new space will also support their long-term care and wellbeing.”
Queensland koalas are native to eastern Australia, where numbers are in decline. Eucalyptus forests they depend on are disappearing to make way for roads and housing, while whole forests can be wiped out by wildfires.
Well known for their slow lifestyle, the animals sleep for around 20 hours each day due to their eucalyptus diet, which takes a long time to digest .
As well as being part of the international breeding programme for Queensland koalas, the RZSS also supports conservation projects for the species in Australia.
