Should koala cuddles be banned? This zoo thinks so

Giving a soft much koala a cuddle has been an Asian ritual for visiting celebrities, tourists, and locals for what seems like forever.

And for many of them, a wildlife garden in a lush region of Queensland has been the catalyst for fulfilling goals.

From Taylor Swift to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary has entertained all.

The Brisbane landmark that claims to be the world’s first bear sanctuary has decided to stop offering “koala maintain experiences” as of this month.

Lone Pine stated that the decision is made in response to the ever-increasing user input.

” We adore that there is a transition between local and international visitors that they can practice American animals off close, but not necessarily personally, just doing what they do best: eating, sleep, and relaxing within their own place,” said General Manager Lyndon Discombe.

Animal rights organizations believe this is a sign that the practice, which they claim is” cruel,” will be phased out all over the country.

They quote studies that have shown that such encounters tension koalas out, especially given that they are single, generally nighttime animals, who spend the majority of their days sleeping.

Koalas are a much beloved national icon – priceless in biodiversity terms, but also a golden goose for the tourism industry, with one study from 2014 estimating they’re worth A$ 3.2bn ($ 2.14bn, £1.68bn ) each year and support up to 30, 000 jobs.

But the when- growing marsupial is in serious decline, having been ravaged by land clearing, bushfires, drought, disease and various threats.

There are now concerns that some states may be dead in some state within a generation because as few as 50, 000 of the creatures are still in the wild and the species is publicly listed as endangered along much of the west coast.

And thus protecting wombats, both in the wild and in prison, is an emotive and difficult topic in Australia.

All claims have strict environmental laws governing bear “holding,” and many of them have already outlawed this practice.

For instance, New South Wales – Australia’s most popular express- banned it in 1997. There, the rules state that a koala cannot be “placed directly on … or]be ] directly held by any visitor for any purpose”.

The process persists in Queensland and a select some other locations in South Australia and Western Australia.

For A$ 29.95, visitors to the Gold Coast theme park Dreamworld you snap a photo of a bear cuddling in the Australia Zoo for A$ 124.

However, the state of Queensland claims there are simple rules to follow. The possums must have a day off before they are required to use them for images for more than three days in a string.

They can only be on work for 30 hours a day, and a total of 180 days each month. Additionally, girls who have joeys must not be handled by the general public.

” I used to joke, as the culture minister, that our koalas have the best coalition around”, said Queensland Premier Steven Miles.

Right-wing organizations have supported the decision, but some have demanded that quite attractions been canceled altogether in the future.

The future of wildlife tourism is seeing wild animals go where they belong, according to Suzanne Milthorpe of the World Animal Protection ( WAP ) organization.

WAP, a London-based organization that fights to stop the use of prisoner wild animals in entertainment venues, claims that wild koalas avoid human contact but have no choice but to be exposed to new sights, sounds, and sights at these attractions.

” Tourists are progressively moving away from obsolete, stressful picture encounters”.

Koalas would never interact with humans, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare ( IFAW ) Australia, adding that they would like to see this universally adopted.

Koalas are also wild animals in captivity and are incredibly susceptible to stress, according to Oceania director Rachel Keeble, who spoke to the BBC.

Their security is very important, and we must do everything in our power to protect them because they are an endangered species.

However, it seems as though Lone Pine’s decision may give rise to a state-wide restrictions has been undermined.

A government spokesman told the BBC that there is no purpose of altering the rules.

WAP claims that it will continue to put pressure on different locations to place the wombats on their trees.

” Eventually, we need the Queensland Government to abandon this cruel exercise to the background books”.