Research indicates that food quality is significantly more important than quantity. This presents further opportunities for enhancing koala wellbeing than just feeding a basic survival diet. For instance, exposing koalas to a greater diversity in tree species will expand their palate, offer increasing enrichment, and will result in more interest in their food.

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Food

By ensuring a consistently varied and diverse diet for the koala, keepers can enhance the animal’s overall interest in food as well as their daily activity.

Eucalyptus grows under all sorts of soil conditions – both rich and poor. Different soils give different leaf textures, which in turn changes the composition of the leaves.

 
Tallowwood Eucalyptus microcorys

Both these saplings are Tallowwood, however, come from very different soil characteristics. The picture on the right represents a rich soil texture. The picture on the left represents a poorer soil texture. There is also a notable difference in colour; the sapling on the right has a much darker colouration. By pruning the same tree species from different areas we can create variety, depth and diversity within the leaf collection.