Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary the latest tourist centre to ban koala cuddles
Iconic South East Queensland tourist attraction Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary has joined a growing trend to ban holding koalas.
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Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane’s inner-west is the latest in a growing list of Australian tourist attractions to ban koala cuddles.
The sanctuary, which for decades has offered the experience to everyone from the Pope to tennis stars and even Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, ended “holding’’ encounters on July 1.
“To address increasing public demand and a concerted effort to embrace more immersive and educational experiences, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary will be ceasing koala hold experiences,’’ it said on its website.
“The decision was made in response to increasingly strong visitor feedback, wishing to spend longer with the sanctuary’s koalas and their passionate wildlife care team, without necessarily holding them.
“In place of koala holds, Lone Pine will introduce a new experience, Koala Close-Up, which will focus on meaningful connections and extended time in the presence of the sanctuary’s beautiful koalas.
“This will be in addition to the sanctuary’s existing koala experiences, Koala Moments and the Koala Discovery Tour.’’
General manager Lyndon Discombe said there was a shift among both local and overseas visitors to experience wildlife up close “but not necessarily personal’’.
“We have absolutely seen an increase in demand for educational programs and guided experiences focusing on the ability to witness the natural behaviours of koalas,’’ he said.
The Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia said it supported the move.
Lone Pine, which opened in 1927, has for years had a strict policy of “resting’’ koalas for several days between handling sessions, with adults held for no more than half an hour a day and joeys for no more than 10 minutes.
Other major tourist centres also have strict rules to limit stress on the marsupials.
Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia, also welcomed the “move away from cruel koala cuddles’’.
“World Animal Protection has been advocating for an end to koala cuddling – a stressful experience for these animals - since the launch of our Too Close for Comfort report in 2022,’’ she said.
“We look forward to other large venues such as Australia Zoo and Dreamworld joining Lone Pine.
“Ultimately, we need the Queensland Government to consign this cruel practice to the history books by joining NSW and Victoria in banning koala cuddling outright.
“The future of wildlife tourism is seeing wild animals in the wild where they belong.
“Tourists are increasingly moving away from outdated, stressful selfie encounters.
“The Queensland tourism industry needs to respond to these changes now.”
Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia are the only states and territories to allow koala holding, with only one site offering the experience in WA and only three in South Australia.
Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast charges $124 but children must be at least eight and 140cm tall.
Dreamworld on the Gold Coast charges $29.95 for a basic experience. Cuddlers must be at least 135cm tall.
Paradise County on the Gold Coast offers what it calls “encounters’’, which include feeding.
Some travel companies including Flight Centre, Booking.com, TripAdvisor and Expedia now limit the types of animal encounters featured on their websites.
Animal rights group World Animal Protection published a report several years ago, based on undercover visits to Australian tourist centres, which claimed that at one centre the marsupials were so reluctant they had to be “peeled off the trees’’ by their handlers.
Hawke-era federal tourism minister John Brown infamously declared in 1986 that koalas were “flea ridden, piddling, stinking, scratching, rotten little things’’ and the country needed to be known for more than marsupials.
Despite that Lone Pine has attracted a roll call of luminaries over the decades with the promise of a cuddle including Taylor Swift, John Travolta, Pope John Paul II, Roger Federer and world leaders during the 2014 G20 Summit such as Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama and former German Chancellor Angela Merckel.
Australian taxpayers forked out $24,000 to Lone Pine so world leaders could snuggle up close and get their picture taken with koalas during the summit.
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Originally published as Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary the latest tourist centre to ban koala cuddles
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