Koalas - The Bare Facts

1990, 50 Minutes

If you think koalas are cute and cuddly, sit in trees all day and don't have a care in the world, this fascinating documentary will surprise you.

Koalas - The Bare Facts reveals some intriguing aspects of this famous Australian that is not a bear at all. It provides a close-up look at some of this animal's behaviour both in the wild and now in the suburbs that have increasingly taken over its habitat.

We follow as a scientist tracks koalas electronically to see the devastating impact of forest clearing on these extraordinary creatures. We witness the progress of orphaned koalas that have been reared by human mothers, and the treatment of sick adults in special koala hospitals, using technology usually reserved only for humans. There's footage of an orphaned koala that shares a bed with a family and watches TV from a special gum tree in their sitting room, and of koalas that sit in telegraph poles because there are no gum trees left. We'll also witness a koala's birth and a baby's first view out of the pouch, as well as the intimate sexual signalling of adult koalas as they flap their ears and jerk their heads.

Winner, Children's Award, ATOM Awards

A Film Australia National Interest Program. © 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.