Close human interaction can be distressing for koalas, a University of Melbourne study has found.
During intimate, noisy encounters with humans, koalas show signs of “increased vigilance”, which is an indicator of stress.
Through tourism, Koalas in captivity have been subject to many up-close encounters with humans, but there has been very little research into understanding how they cope in these situations.
The research raises questions about the trade-off between education and animal welfare.
Read more at The University of Melbourne