Chan, Pellita, Paddle & Idalia

NeverSayGoodBye SG

When Singapore invited us to come visit for a holiday, we had no idea they were going to go this far just for us. They went above and beyond to make everything feel like home! I can see why a lot of our other Australian friends decided to stay here for good.

We've been given an enclosure of our own, built specially just for us. And it's got all the best technology, too. You can be sure Idalia and Pellita were nothing short of impressed. They had to explain a few things, but this is what our little hut is about.

This walk-through exhibit is just perfectly crafted to keep us comfortable and keep you, the guests, suitably immersed. It's made to look and feel just like the Australian Outback where we come from, so all of us can have an authentic experience.

It's pleasantly roomy, with 210m² of space. Although it's indoors, it has our favourite trees put in and even a computer-regulated climate control system that makes sure the temperature and humidity doesn't ruin our beautiful fur. And here we thought computers couldn't control the weather!

The future is a marvellous thing, and this house is a marvellous place. So why not pop down and meet us in our new home-away-from-home?

It's just as good as the real thing. And trust us – we should know.

NeverSayGoodBye SG

Okay, first things first. The koarrect way to say my name is "Shan", as in short for "Chantelle". Also, please don't call me a koala bear. We look like bears, but we're actually marsupials – a.k.a pouched mammals. Yes, like kangaroos!

Now that we've gotten these sorted, it's time to get ourselves acquainted! You'll usually find me asleep on my favourite branch. Hey, a girl's gotta get a good spot, especially when we spend 18 to 22 hours a day on our beauty sleep!

When I'm not sleeping, I love to explore my surroundings. We've dropped by Kai Kai and Jia Jia's place – whoa impressive! I wish they'd stop to talk, but they seemed too busy with their bamboo that day.

My keeper (the one I was named after) says that pandas eat about 20kg of bamboo every day. That seems like a lot, considering we koalas only need 500g of eucalypt leaves, tops. Hey, maybe I should review my diet!

NeverSayGoodBye SG

Hello, I'm Pellita. After some research, I discovered that I was named after the best koala brain food in the world - the Eucalyptus Pellita! It's a scientific fact that this delicious green grows in North Queensland, Australia although other species of eucalyptus grow in many parts of the world. Yes, tropical Singapore included!

We koalas do love our eucalyptus like Singaporeans love Chilli Crab! It's just about the only thing we eat. Not that I'm complaining. But if you are thinking how boring it must be to eat the same thing all the time, think again! There are over 700 species of eucalyptus so that's a lot of flavours on the menu!

And what do we like to drink with our food? The truth is, we koalas don't drink much water. You shouldn't try that at home because research shows that humans need their 8 glasses a day. We koalas get enough just from the eucalypt leaves!

NeverSayGoodBye SG

Hello! My name is Paddle. I love kids. In fact, I have all the koalafications to be a mother, but I don't have any joeys of my own, yet. That's a good thing, otherwise I wouldn't be able to come visit you here in Singapore with my girlfriends!

I'm looking forward to spending some koalaty time with them, and you of course. At Singapore Zoo, I get to meet a lot of little human joeys. The bunch of them must be very clever at school, because they seem to all wear specs. Some of them are a little shy, like me.

I don't like loud noises, unless it's the sound of joeys laughing and having an ace time. When joeys cry, many other koalas crawl up a faraway tree. But not me. I'll come over and say 'G'day mate' and give the little guy a nice Paddle hug.

NeverSayGoodBye SG

Being the baby of the bunch has its good points. I can get away with everything. Like the other day, I didn't feel like eating my food. So, I stuffed it all in the tiny pouches in my cheeks. That made me feel very clever, until I discovered every koala can do it.

But that's ok. I'll go for more walkabouts and find new things to do. Now that I am in Singapore, I want to meet new friends too. I am basically friendly with everyone – from other koalas, to humans and non-koalas too.

But, between you and me, I am a little terrified of dogs, foxes and pythons. Mama told me, they love to eat koalas, especially small ones like me! So you won't find me near them anytime soon.