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.
Known since:
Gulkurguli (Gulli for short) was first seen in January 2017. He was a young mature adult, possibly about 3 years old.
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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://www.echidnawalkabout.com.au/about/conservation/