In 1996, the koala pumped 1.1 billion dollars into the Australian economy. A 1997 report, Koalas and Tourism: An economic evaluation, undertaken by Professor Tor Hundloe and
Throughout the 1980's, only a handful of wildlife institutions in the south-east of Queensland boasted teams of highly skilled and knowledgeable staff. Wildlife institutions were equipped with longstanding staff members who had decades of experience in the industry. A career in this industry was highly competitive. Expectations were high, particularly across Queensland, which was the main hub for the koala industry and had one of the best reputations in the world for its animal husbandry work standards.
South-eastern Queensland was drawing tourists from around the world; everybody wanted to be photographed next to the iconic Australian koala. New enclosures were built to support other native species, and wildlife sanctuaries and theme parks were expanding; koala money was propelling the industry forward at a rapid pace.
Now, I'm sure there was some level of pressure from the AKF, as they kept popping their heads around certain wildlife parks, perhaps to feel included. Their headquarters were in Redbank area - between Gold Coast and Brisbane.
However, now, most of the pressure was generated by the competition playing out between the differing wildlife parks, all working in close proximity. For example, on the Gold Coast where koala money supported everything, the biggest earner was Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Their 30-40 koalas had a huge reputation and word-of-mouth following. The second biggest was Dreamworld, who started in the industry simply competing with Koala Town, who was just down the road from Wet'n'Wild. Dreamworld saw the success of Koala Town - who also had around 30 - 40 koalas – and began to overtake their success, bringing in twice as many koalas and eventually forcing Koala Town to close its doors permanently. Dreamworld's programs proved successful, with their koala revenue soon outstripping Currumbin. In third place was Fleay's Wildlife Park, which was minutes away from Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and had around 20-25 koalas.
Brisbane was home to the largest koala sanctuary in the world: Lone Pine. Lone Pine holds the world record for the number of koalas in one establishment: 120 koalas!
Woolshed Wildlife Park in Ferny Grove and Gondwana Wildlife Park were also in Brisbane; both consisting of just over 30 koalas. Gondwana was in the heart of the Brisbane city, in South Bank. Further north lay a few more wildlife parks, including Australia Zoo. However, back then they only had around 5-10 koalas – their focus was mainly on reptiles.
The exact amount of revenue generated by the koala between these six wildlife institutions was a well-guarded secret. This was largely due to growing mistrust from conservation groups who would use this information to discredit the industry. Instead of supporting and celebrating the commercial success of the industry, they sought to unravel it.
The non-profit groups knew from their visits (whether it was announced or not) that the koalas were treated like superstars, so they never had any reason to worry or raise concerns.
The commercial sector could pinpoint exactly which koala made the top grade of income, which was $100,000 per year level & above, secondly which koalas earn $50,000 per year, and thirdly, which koala was making $25,000 per year.
The koalas all had good-to-great years, according to their age, sex and attitude. And, to keep these superstars happy and well behaved, a support group of highly experienced keepers were there to work with individual needs and temperaments of each koala. Koalas were the highest earning animal in Australia, and their care was taken very seriously. Their diets alone play a 50-60% role in their behavioural outcomes, meaning that their food, and the way in which it was delivered, played a huge role in determining their behaviour other than their training, environment and enclosure design, ensuring that they were content for any photoshoots with tourists.
The koalas were prima donna's and were pampered all year round.
The knowledge, experience and unique skills that were present in all staff in the koala industry during this period were never recognised by the outside community. Though the staff who worked with koalas during this time had a very specialised set of husbandry skills, promotion of these skills or this industry was risky, as it would attract unwanted and negative attention from outside groups. So, the staff who allowed this industry to thrive, and helped allow the koala to reach international acclaim, were never promoted, and neither was their work. The koala's themselves knew no different and were very well taken care of and loved, similar to a beloved household cat or dog. Though in our industry, we never went as far as dressing them up!
Embracing the Economic Opportunity of the Koala
accommodation providers, the koala will make enough of an income to grow the Australian economy, assist other industries, provide jobs, and support businesses.
This was the case for Sydney Wonderland Park in NSW. At the beginning of their operations in the late 1980's, early 90's, Sydney Wonderland could only afford to stay open during the summer months. However, once the koala population increased and koala photos were offered, this all changed.
Sydney Wonderland could soon afford to stay open all year round for the first two years, relying solely on the income derived from koala photos.
In the zoological industry, all animals in captivity are expensive. To judge their value by their popularity with the public is not enough. Some of the key considerations for zoos and wildlife sanctuaries that house certain animals are the cost of enclosures and their structuration, ongoing expenses, physical and human resources, internal and external politics, and their availability. And even if these elements fall into place, this still doesn't guarantee a good profit margin, as its usually not just one animal that can hold a crowd, but a collection of exotic and native animals that draws a crowd. For example, tourists flock to do a safari in Africa, not just to see one animal, but to see many – such as the famous Big Five. One exception to this rule is the panda in China, whose charisma and fame draws international attention, much like the koala. The koala is rare in that as an individual species it draws a huge global crowd and a strong revenue that also funds conservation, education and captive management for many other species.
Back in the early 2000's, the San Diego Zoo had close to 60 koalas on the books, rotating 30 in-house with 30 koalas continuously leased out to other zoos in the United States and abroad. This model created a solid stream of revenue and allowed for a secondary income for San Diego Zoo, who also charge for the feeding.
The koala was the only animal at San Diego Zoo that created a profit, and enough of an income to offset other zoo projects. Other than the koala in San Diego's zoo, their Botanic Gardens were the most high-profile value assets in the park.
Marcus The Koala Man
Koala Retreat
