A Good Eating Tree

An Essay by Pat Gateman

This is an article about koalas. To find out some interesting facts about koalas, click here.
For a list of interesting koala links, click here.
To meet the author and find out how she came to write this essay, click here.

The weary mother keeps going, a break in the busy day for drivers who wait patiently for the koalas to cross the road. Australians heed the 'koala crossing' signs and know the importance of preserving their cherished animals.

The January day is scorching hot and a smell of smoke hangs heavy in the air. It comes from the burning forest which the koalas were forced to leave. Now homeless, they cannot know the problems awaiting them in the outside world, nor do they realize their good fortune in escaping at all. Many have perished.

Sometimes, when the burden is too great, the mother shakes her little one down from her back. She is ten months old now and must learn to walk more by herself.

Later, the koalas stop to rest under a tree and the mother tests it by pressing her black leathery nose against the trunk. Her 'sniffer' tells her it is not good for eating, but will do to rest in.Then the leaves rustle as they climb hand over hand high into the tree's branches where they sit huddled for a short time. Then the mother allows her baby to crawl into her pouch and they both fall asleep.

Darkness comes and hunger prods the orphans from the bush (Australian for 'woods') to continue on. Two days have passed without a good feeding of eucalyptus leaves. But the mother is choosy. There are many kinds of leaves but so few that she likes.

So far, the little fire victims have been lucky. They have not been injured or killed by a car or attacked by a dog. News reporters keep the public well informed and citizens are watchful. They even try to keep their dogs from chasing the koalas.

At dawn, the mother koala finally locates a good eating tree but is unaware that it belongs to humans. Ecstatic, she munches greedily on the lush green leaves, then chews some for her little one who cannot, as yet, eat them whole. Then, happy and content, the tired travellers fall asleep.

Awakening later, the mother grooms herself from head to foot, drawing her back claws through her thick brown coat. Next comes baby, who gets a thorough bath with her tongue. When done, the mother koala stops to gaze sleepily about her new community, thinking her long search is at last over. Today they will just snack and snooze.

Then the big shock comes. Loud barking sounds and human voices destroy the silence. The mother, alarmed, peers downward, her twitching nose catching strange scents. A long rope snakes upward and she snarls, bares her sharp teeth and juts out her long curved talons. But her small teddy-bear image is not very scary and does little to discourage the intruders.

Then things happen fast. First, the lassoed mother comes crashing downward and is caught by a canvas held out below. Her helpless baby offers no challenge, making the rest of the rescue easy.

Mother koala and her little one sniff and claw about in the stuffy cornsack as the truck they have been put in speeds down the highway. They have been captured by Wildlife Management workers, who have orders to drop the orphans off at a small shack where they must be left alone for a while. If this is not done, the frightened animals could go into shock and die.

After a brief while, the mother gets used to staying in the 'quiet place' filled with good eating leaves. But, she isn't used to eating off the floor yet and would still like to have her own tree. Her baby spends much time with her head stuck in the mother's pouch, nursing.

Three days pass before the koalas are once more rounded up and this time put into a wooden crate and driven to the zoo hospital for a medical examination.

Mother Koala fusses as the zoo doctor pokes, prods, and even shines lights into her eyes. When it is over the doctor happily reports the fire victims are in good health and can be sent to a new koala reserve.

Until arrangements are complete, the orphans must stay at the Koala Hilton, an open-face log structure, with good eating trees. It is also a popular tourist stop-over, which is ideal for visitors to learn something about the country's much-loved animals.

When tourists drop by the hotel, Mother Koala and her baby are brought down from their tree so they can be observed. Visitors learn about the terrible times when koalas were slaughtered for their dense, woolly furs. They wonder how such cute animals could have been treated so badly and are happy to learn there are now laws to protect them.

Just as the koalas are beginning to like all the good food and attention, the Wildlife Management truck returns with the wooden crate. The mother grumbles as she and her baby are once again driven off. She has no way of knowing that this time there will be a happy ending.

When they reach their new community, the mother runs with her lop-sided gait, sniffing every tree trunk. Finally, she chooses a tree at the edge of the forest, just like the one they lost in the fire so long ago. They climb higher and higher before stopping at a forked branch close to the top where they sit, huddled together, sleepily gazing over their new neighborhood. Mother koala feels happy and content, for she has finally found her good eating tree; a home she and her baby can call their very own.

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