About Koala Gulkurguli

by | Oct 16, 2018 | Our Koalas

Gulkurguli

Origin of name:

Gulkurguli means boy in Wathaurong, the original language of the You Yangs region.

A book by Bruce Pascoe: “Convincing Ground: Learning to Fall in Love with Your Country” includes a reference to the Wathaurong word gulkurguli.

koala looking up side view

Known since:

Gulkurguli (Gulli for short) was first seen in January 2017. He was a young mature adult, possibly about 3 years old.

young male wild koala face side view

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How often seen:

Gulkurguli was only seen twice in 2017, but 24 times in 2018. He was seen 90 times in 2019, and has been seen on 32 days in 2020.

Family:

Gulli has several offspring with resident females Ngardang and Kiki.  Ngardang’s daughter in 2019: Winjku is fathered by Gulli, and KiKi’s son Mimi of the same age.  Both Ngardang & KiKi had joeys in 2020: Kallama and Lara, which are almost certainly fathered by Gulli too.

We will never be sure, but Gulli’s nose pattern bears a resemblance to Nate, a joey born to Mear in 2014.  Mear still lives nearby. It would not be the first time we’ve seen a mature male set up home not far from his mother – Lluvia lives near his mother Misty.

Neighbours:

Gulli took over from Clancy but we are sure Clancy is still nearby. Winberry lives to the east, and Bungaleenee and Jandamarra live to the south. Females Ngardang, Lakorra, Kiki & Kozo, Wemba and Djadja are all close neighbours and potential mates.

Media Appearances:

Gulli has already made a few appearances on social media: Gulkurguli on Koala Clancy’s Facebook

Survived extreme heat/drought catastrophes:

Gulli has survived the following extreme heat waves and droughts.

2014: 14 to 17 January (4 days over 40C, the last at max 46C)
2019: 4 January max temp: 46C
2019: 25 January max temp: 46C
2019: 20 December max temp: 46C
2019: 30 December max temp: 44C

 

How do we know all this about Gulkurguli ? Our Wild Koala Research Project has been monitoring the koalas of the You Yangs and Brisbane Ranges for 20 years, using our non-intrusive method of nose pattern identification.

Learn more:
https://echidnawalkabout.com.au/about/conservation/

See similar posts: koala | koala research | koalas | You Yangs