The Back Story
In order to understand the future, you must understand the past. This sentiment is especially true within the koala industry, whose institutions that exist today have not managed to learn from the past to adapt and improve for the future.
Throughout the 1970's, 80's and 90's, koalas (and koala populations) in captivity was a growing industry. Staff and management within the koala industry relied on their local surroundings for enrichment, food and housing for the koalas.
Sourcing food for the koala is a complex craft that requires a unique set of skills and a deep knowledge of the environment. The environment in which koala food is sourced from are constantly changing. The conditions of an area or micro-environment undergoes numerous changes on a daily basis which alters the chemical composition of the leaves and vegetation.
Koala food can be compared to an over-ripened or under-ripened piece of fruit; the leaves can be too well done or under-done, which is less appealing to the koala.
The Art of Cutting
'Cutting' is the practice of pruning large numbers of branches to source koala food.
'Food browsing' is the practice of foraging for food for the koala in a field or local environment.
Our job as cutters is to follow the environmental patterns and small changes to the vegetation; we explore and understand the local areas and look for signs of moisture levels and tree maturity. This profession requires more than just training and education; it requires local knowledge, great communication skills, tree identification skills, passion and strong instincts.
Winter is the most difficult time of year to work through; the conditions are tough and sourcing koala food can be time-consuming and arduous. There is also different levels of pressure during this time of the year depending upon, the culture and experiences that exist with the group, so with each institutions, there varity of pressure we place on ourselves to source the best food to ensure that the koalas are receiving the optimal diet.
Cutters and Foragers
There is very little documented information available on the koala's proper diet and the methods involved in sourcing koala food, and what is available, is often limited in detail. Much of the information is stored inside the minds of cutters, as the behaviour of the koala is our guild and the levels of activity demo-straight how we must behaviour to maintain their activities and level of interest towards their food, for individuals like myself, who have a vast understanding of koala behaviour. We know, for example, that when koalas strip every single leaf off a branch and turn it into a stick, it indicates that that one particular area is in the 'sweet spot'. So we make a mental note to cut there again in the near future, and increase the percentage of that group of branches towards the next load from that area. As cutters and koala food experts, we hold huge amounts of valuable knowledge, and sadly, a lot of this knowledge isn't being passed across to other staff members, with the standards of years gone by. Some senior staff may also have intentionally withheld information, for example, on key 'sweet spots areas', which makes it difficult to train future generations and give them the resources and understanding that they need to ensure that the koala industry thrives.
In some cases, groups of 5-6 staff members would forage for koala food, which, in some cases, would actually be detrimental to the diet of the koala. Bickering and disagreements would be common among food-cutting groups which would result in koalas eating the same thing day in and day out. This would lead to negative behaviour from the koala, who was unable to thrive under such a bland diet. However, it is still not as bad as plantation-cut food, which is only sourced from a limited selection of locations.
The Science Behind Koala Diet and Behaviour
There has been no scientific study into the intricacies of the captive koala industry and the way that the performance of an institution (and the type of workmanship) impacts the behaviour of the koala. In fact, there has been very little research into the culture, science and methodology behind cutting and captive-food foraging in south-east Australia.
The only form of science that has directly impacted the koala is the years of knowledge gained by sourcing and cutting food for koalas from different locations, while working with different koala populations, and noticing varied levels of activities and behaviours.
The more active the team is in strategizing and planning the food, the more noticeable the change in the koala's interest toward food. This type of interest and increased playfulness and movement also allows staff to understand the unique personalities, temperaments and food preferences of each koala. This work-ethic and staff commitment also is beneficial for the tourism industry; the staff know the koalas so well that they are able to cater to large visiting tourist groups, and match the right koala to the right events tailoring the experience to particular demographics' and sizes of tourism groups.
As the Australian population increased, especially in south-east Australia (particularly, the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast region), the pressure to maintain field work was increasing. Plantations were introduced as a way to source koala food and reduce the costs associated with housing koala in large numbers. This was the beginning of the industry's move away from consultation with true experts (or, foot soldiers). Field browsing was becoming less-known and the skillset was no longer being prioritised. This was due to a breakdown in communication, as well as low wages, a disconnect between the 'foot soldier' staff and the senior management, as well as the false assumption by many in higher office that sourcing koala food was a simple process that merely required cutters to chop down trees.
The experienced staff members continued to request more and more support, noticing that they were losing greater areas to redevelopment of the local areas they had relied on for so many years. The disconnect between the foot soldiers and senior management (who in some cases, had their own agenda by introducing plantations) widened, so the standards of koala care started to decline due to lack of understanding by senior management. This also meant that the cutting became a bit of a lost art which had negative consequences on koalas and the entire industry.
Field browsing and food-cutting still continue today, however, today's staff lack the knowledge, cultural awareness and instinct that was once present in this work. This new culture that has evolved threatens to weaken the industry and has created a gap which perpetuates the misguided under-appreciation that is directed to our unique expertise. Today's staff have been pushed towards a more plantation-focussed, rather than field browsing, especially here in New South Wales.
I am one of the very few people left in the industry that still practices this style of cutting and field browsing. You could say I am the last of the old guard; still focussing on quality over quantity.
Next article: Part 2 of the Koala Food Production, explore professional life of a field cutting method