Koala Research
Meet ... Rudi
Bushfire update 6 February 2006: Rudi had moved out of this area well before the fire, and we hadn't seen him for some weeks. Hopefully he has both found an excellent home a long way from the burnt area. We will continue to watch for him.
Update from the bush - 2 September 2005 Our little baby is now a big boy!
Rudi has grown very fast over the last few months. He caught a cold in February, probably due to the freak storm we had then (while lucky Janine was camping doing Koala Research - lovely!) We monitored him for the next few months, terribly worried that he would catch pneumonia, but he recovered by June and started growing rapidly. He is now nearly as big as his mum, Daisy. And he looks so much like her! He has the same silvery-grey fur all over, big fluffy ears and eyes that slant upwards like he is smiling!
His reactions to us are funny. We think he's been hearing and recognising our voices since before he emerged from Daisy's pouch, so he pays very little attention to us when we arrive. It's like: "Yeah, so it's you again. Where have ya been all day?" It is great, as our arrival doesn't seem to change his behavior whatsoever. So what we see him doing, is what he would be doing anyway!
We have really enjoying watching this little guy grow up!
Rudi's life story so far -
May 2004
We first noticed a bulge on Daisy's belly. By June, baby couldn't wait to see the world, and was popping her/his head out of the pouch to look at us!
16/7/04
Wonderful Ruth from Michigan was the first to see Daisy's new baby and we decided that if this baby turned out to be a girl (we couldn't tell at this stage) her name would be Ruth.
27/7/04
Baby is seen out of the pouch, so we think this little one is an early starter! (Normally koala babies are not really seen until August or September, partly due to their super-protective mums!) The lucky Roach and Whetstone/Northman families were the first to see our new baby outside of the pouch, with Guide Roger.
Baby is already trying gum leaves - even attempting to steal some from Daisy's mouth!
First attempts at getting baby photos are the result of patience and hours in the rain. Daisy and her baby kept cuddled close together high in the tree.
23/8/04
Daisy has finally come home after a long walkabout to show off her new baby! She was seen by our Guide Belinda, the Newman family from the US and Richard from Germany in Ingrid's and Tess's country on 11/8; we lost her for a few days, then she appeared in Uncle Tom's area! At last, though she is back home - Guide Janine and the Eriksen girls from Canada found her back in her own gully on 23/8. Was she showing the little one the surrounding district? Or was she hungry for some variety in her diet? Or was she in fact, showing off to the other koalas in her community?
28/10/04
Welcome Rudi! Finally we have a name for Daisy's baby koala. We discovered he was a boy (don't ask me how) but we were so hoping for a girl (and determined to call her Ruth) that when he was found by a man named Rudolf, the name just seemed right. It suits him too - he is a bit of a cheeky one!
25/11/04
On a hot day we all watched as Rudi came down a branch to where his mum was sleeping contentedly, stretched out in a fork. Brazenly he climbed over her face waking her up, and shoved and pushed her around until he could get his head into her pouch for a suckle. She tolerated all this, put her arm around him and shut her eyes again with a sigh. Mothers - aren't they amazing?
Koala babies continue to suckle long after they leave the pouch. This can be amusing to watch as the mother koala's pouch opening is on the underside of her pouch, so most often the baby nurses upside down!
24/2/05 Rudi the adventurer!
At the wee young age of one year, Rudi has taken to living alone! Just like a
16 year old boy, he spends more time out of home than in it, and just comes home
to mum for some reassurance occasionally (and maybe to get some laundry done?)
She keeps an eye on him though!
We think Daisy might have another baby in her pouch, and Rudi might have
moved away to give her a bit of space. She's got enough to think about - hot
temperatures, summer storms, a new baby, a one-year old and a three year old (Lacka)
who still likes to visit!
Rudi and Daisy also have new photos!
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