Koalas introduced for the first time at Brookfield Zoo Chicago

Two male koalas slowly climbed trees and snacked on eucalyptus leaves Tuesday at their new home at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, as hundreds excitedly waited in line for the chance to see the marsupials during their public debut.  

“Every week I’ve been coming and hounding these poor people with ‘when, when when,’” joked Kim Dombrowski, who said having her favorite animal in her hometown is “the best.” The 65-year-old wore koala earrings, shoes, a hat and a T-shirt to mark the occasion. 

Brumby and Willum, the two koalas, arrived at the zoo June 10, spending their first week acclimating before greeting the public, said Mark Wanner, associate vice president of animal care and conservation. Wanner said for at least five days only animal care specialists and the vet team were allowed to see the koalas as they adjust. The process went smoothly, he added. 

The pair, both around 2 years old, are the first koalas to live at the zoo in its 90-year history. Just 11 accredited zoos in North America have the fuzzy animals, which are native to Australia. Brookfield is the only Midwest zoo with koalas, Wanner added. 

“We’re so excited to welcome the koalas here. They tell a great conservation story right now,” said Mike Adkesson, president and CEO, adding that there have been “massive population decreases” among koalas during the last 20 years. 

“We saw devastating wildfires blaze through Australia in 2020. The impacts of climate change, we’re seeing a lot of changes in habitat that allows wildfires to take off like that,” Adkesson continued. “It’s a really important message that we can share with people — that everyday choices that we make about our environment really do have major impacts for wildlife around the globe.”

Adkesson said the koalas, which came to Brookfield through a partnership with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and San Diego Zoo’s Koala Education and Conservation Project, are on loan at the zoo for at least two years. There’s a possibility their stay may be lengthened, he said.

Brumby and Willum will enjoy a highly specific — and expensive — diet at the zoo, Wanner said. Twice a week the zoo will receive shipments of fresh eucalyptus leaves for the duo, which each eat about 1 or 2 pounds of eucalyptus every day. Most of their water intake also comes from eucalyptus, Wanner said. 

“Usually four to six different species of eucalyptus come in,” Wanner said. “They can be very picky from one week to the next —  like they’ll eat one species one week and next week they may not.”

Koalas have specialized gut bacteria that break down the leaves, which are poisonous to most other animals. This diet is why koalas spend most of their days, anywhere from 18 to 22 hours, sleeping in a tree to conserve energy, officials said.

At their home in the zoo’s Hamill Family Play Zoo, Brumby and Willum are separated by 4-foot glass panels. Koalas are solitary by nature and males can become aggressive if they’re face to face on the ground, Wanner said. With the glass, the pair can’t see each other standing on the ground. If they’re perched in a tree, they’re civil to each other, Wanner said. 

Wanner also said koalas can be easily stressed because they’re a relatively shy species. He said staff trained for two weeks in San Diego and in Brookfield to help recognize their subtle tells. Weighing about 7 to 30 pounds, koalas also have one of the smallest brain-to-body mass ratios in mammals. The surface of their brain is smooth, meaning they don’t require much energy to function but they’re unable to draw conclusions or make many simple decisions.

Tuesday, before the exhibit opened to the public, hundreds of people lined up outside, and the line continued to grow hours later. Alison Martorelli arrived at the zoo with her two kids around 9:30 a.m., saying they’d been waiting all summer to see the koalas. She said they previously saw koalas on a trip to San Diego, but having them near their home in Darien is a treat. 

“We come at least once a week — during the summer, sometimes twice,” she said. “They’re really big animal lovers, so it’s cool to see all the different animals we have here in Chicago.”

For 8-year-old Suzanne Penoff, she hoped Brumby and Willum were as cute as the koala in the movie “Back to the Outback.” One of her favorite facts is that koalas aren’t bears. They’re actually marsupials, more closely related to wombats and kangaroos — all of which reside at the zoo’s Australia House.

“I wanted to see them because they are cute, and I’ve seen pictures of them on posters around the zoo,” she said.

Giving kids in the Chicago area the chance to visit koalas is what Wanner said he’s most excited about. When he was younger, he remembers flipping through National Geographic magazines and being fascinated by reptiles and Australian species. 

“Most of the children in this area have never seen a live koala,” he said. “That’s the most amazing experience for me — it gives me goosebumps to even think about it.”

The zoo is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.