Dublin Zoo is home for the only koala bears in Europe.
The two Australian koalas are on loan to Dublin Zoo from San Diego Zoo as part of a breeding programme. The koalas have been accompanied to Dublin by keeper Vickie Kuder of San Diego Zoo.
Kapula (meaning 'white') and Banjerri (meaning 'voice of ancestor spirit') have proven to be a great attraction at Dublin Zoo where they have been living since June.
Some 340,000 people have been to see them since they arrived on 7 June.
Peter Wilson from Dublin Zoo says the Koalas have been thriving since their arrival. They sleep for 16 hours a day and survive entirely on eucalyptus leaves. Their native habitat is the eucalyptus forests of Australia. The word 'koala' is aboriginal meaning, without water. Koalas never drink and all their water requirements are met from the leaf of the eucalyptus tree.
The San Diego Zoo and the Australian Wildlife and Parks Department have agreed that Dublin Zoo can have a permanent colony of koalas. The hope is to breed them in Dublin.
Vickie Kuder, is the koala specialist from the San Diego Zoo and has been on secondment to Dublin Zoo since June. She explains some of the challenges of breeding koalas such as their weak respiratory system. Kapula and Banjerri are doing well in Ireland. They are the smallest baby koalas ever to be transported anywhere in the world. Vickie Kuder is optimistic about the plans to start a breeding colony in Europe.
This is the first time ever koalas have been displayed in Europe in over a hundred years.
One member of the studio audience, Sheila Power, gets the opportunity to pet one of the koalas. The entire audience are also given a free ticket to visit Dublin Zoo.
This episode of The Late Late Show was broadcast on 7 October 1988. The presenter is Gay Byrne.
