Editing Koala (section)

==Relation to humans==

===History===
[[File:Koalo.jpg|thumb|upright|left|George Perry's illustration in his 1810 ''Arcana'' was the first published image of the koala.]]

The first written reference to the koala was recorded by John Price, servant of [[John Hunter (Royal Navy officer)|John Hunter]], the [[Governor of New South Wales]]. Price encountered the "cullawine" on 26 January 1798, during an expedition to the [[Blue Mountains (New South Wales)|Blue Mountains]],<ref>{{cite book | last=Phillips | first=Bill | title=Koalas : the little Australians we'd all hate to lose | publisher=Australian Government Publishing Service| publication-place=Canberra | year=1990 | isbn=978-0-644-09697-3 | oclc=21532917 | page=13}}</ref> but his remarks would first be published in ''[[Historical Records of Australia]]'', nearly a century later.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|8}} In 1802, French-born explorer [[Francis Louis Barrallier]] encountered the animal when his two Aboriginal guides, returning from a hunt, brought back two koala feet they were intending to eat. Barrallier preserved the appendages and sent them and his notes to Hunter's successor, [[Philip Gidley King]], who forwarded them to [[Joseph Banks]]. Similar to Price, Barrallier's notes were not published until 1897.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|9–10}} Reports of the "Koolah" appeared in the Sydney Gazette in late 1803, and helped provide the impetus for King to send artist [[John Lewin]] to create watercolours of the animal. Lewin painted three pictures, one of which was [[printmaking|printed]] in [[Georges Cuvier]]'s ''[[Le Règne Animal]] (The Animal Kingdom)'' (1827).<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|12–13}}

Botanist [[Robert Brown (Scottish botanist from Montrose)|Robert Brown]] was the first to write a formal scientific description in 1803, based on a female specimen captured near what is now [[Mount Kembla]] in the [[Illawarra]] region of New South Wales. Austrian botanical illustrator [[Ferdinand Bauer]] drew the animal's skull, throat, feet, and paws. Brown's work remained unpublished and largely unnoticed, however; his field books and notes remained in his possession until his death, when they were bequeathed to the British Museum in London. They were not identified until 1994, while Bauer's koala watercolours were not published until 1989.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|16–28}} [[William Paterson (explorer)|William Paterson]], who had befriended Brown and Bauer during their stay in New South Wales, wrote an eyewitness report of his encounters with the animals and this would be the basis for British surgeon [[Everard Home]]'s anatomical writings on them.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|33–36}} Home, who in 1808 published his report,<ref>{{cite journal |author=Home, E. |title=An account of some peculiarities in the anatomical structure of the wombat, with observations on the female organs of generation |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society |year=1808 |volume=98 |pages=304–12 |url=https://archive.org/stream/philtrans02276790/02276790#page/n0/mode/2up |doi=10.1098/rstl.1808.0020 |s2cid=108450983 |access-date=9 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015004016/https://archive.org/stream/philtrans02276790/02276790#page/n0/mode/2up |archive-date=15 October 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> coined the scientific name ''Didelphis coola''.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|36}}

[[George Perry (naturalist)|George Perry]] officially published the first image of the koala in his 1810 natural history work ''Arcana''.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|37}} Perry called it the "New Holland Sloth", and his dislike for the koala, evident in his description of the animal, was reflected in the contemporary British attitudes towards Australian animals as strange and primitive:<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|40}}

<blockquote>...&nbsp;the eye is placed like that of the Sloth, very close to the mouth and nose, which gives it a clumsy awkward appearance, and void of elegance in the combination&nbsp;... they have little either in their character or appearance to interest the Naturalist or Philosopher. As Nature however provides nothing in vain, we may suppose that even these torpid, senseless creatures are wisely intended to fill up one of the great links of the chain of animated nature&nbsp;...<ref>{{cite journal |author=Perry, G. |title=Koalo, or New Holland Sloth |journal=Arcana; or the Museum of Natural History |page=109 |url=https://archive.org/stream/arcanaormuseumof00perr#page/n109/mode/2up |year=1811 |access-date=9 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015004010/https://archive.org/stream/arcanaormuseumof00perr#page/n109/mode/2up |archive-date=15 October 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref></blockquote>

[[File:Phascolarctus cinereus 2 Gould.jpg|thumb|upright|Natural history illustrator John Gould popularised the koala with his 1863 work ''The Mammals of Australia''.]]

Naturalist and popular artist [[John Gould]] illustrated and described the koala in his three-volume work ''[[The Mammals of Australia]]'' (1845–1863) and introduced the species, as well as other members of Australia's little-known faunal community, to the public.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|87–93}} Comparative anatomist [[Richard Owen]], in a series of publications on the physiology and anatomy of Australian mammals, presented a paper on the anatomy of the koala to the [[Zoological Society of London]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Owen, R. |title=Richard Owen, esq., in the chair |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |year=1836 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=109–13 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30570836 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.1836.tb01376.x |access-date=20 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814024831/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30570836 |archive-date=14 August 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> In this widely cited publication, he provided an early description of its internal anatomy, and noted its general structural similarity to the wombat.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|94–96}} English naturalist [[George Robert Waterhouse]], curator of the Zoological Society of London, was the first to correctly classify the koala as a marsupial in the 1840s, and compared it to fossil species ''[[Diprotodon]]'' and ''[[Nototherium]]'', which had been discovered just recently.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|46–48}} Similarly, [[Gerard Krefft]], curator of the [[Australian Museum]] in Sydney, noted evolutionary mechanisms at work when comparing the koala to fossil marsupials in his 1871 ''The Mammals of Australia''.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|103–105}}

Britain received its first living koala in 1881, which was obtained by the [[Zoological Society of London]]. As related by prosecutor to the society, [[William Alexander Forbes]], the animal suffered an accidental demise when the heavy lid of a washstand fell on it and it was unable to free itself. Forbes dissected the specimen and wrote about the female reproductive system, the brain, and the liver—parts not previously described by Owen, who had access only to preserved specimens.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|105–06}} Scottish [[Embryology|embryologist]] [[William Hay Caldwell|William Caldwell]]—well known in scientific circles for determining the reproductive mechanism of the [[platypus]]—described the uterine development of the koala in 1884,<ref>{{cite journal |author=Caldwell, H. |title=On the arrangement of the embryonic membranes in marsupial mammals |journal=Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science |year=1884 |volume=s2–24 |issue=96 |pages=655–658 |url=https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article-abstract/s2-24/96/655/61975/Memoirs-On-the-Arrangement-of-the-Embryonic?redirectedFrom=fulltext |access-date=14 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051224/https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article-abstract/s2-24/96/655/61975/Memoirs-On-the-Arrangement-of-the-Embryonic?redirectedFrom=fulltext |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> and used this new information to convincingly map out the evolutionary timeline of the koala and the [[monotreme]]s.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|111}}

===Cultural significance ===
{{main|Koala emblems and popular culture}}
{{multiple image
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| image1            = Koala_souvenirs.JPG
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| alt1              = Koala souvenir soft toys
| caption1          = Koala souvenir soft toys are popular with tourists.
| image2            = Amy and Oliver (5156253878).jpg
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| alt2              = Amy and Oliver the bronze koalas (by artist Glenys Lindsay)
| caption2          = Amy and Oliver the bronze koalas (by Glenys Lindsay)
}}

The koala is known worldwide and is a major draw for Australian zoos and wildlife parks. It has been featured in popular culture and as soft toys.<ref name="jackson" />{{rp|ix}} It benefited the Australian tourism industry by over $1''&nbsp;''billion in 1998, and subsequently grown.<ref name="moyal" />{{rp|201}} Its international popularly rose after World War II, when tourism increased and the animals were exported to zoos overseas.<ref name="jackson" />{{rp|156}} In 1997, about 75% of European and Japanese tourists placed the koala at the top of their list of animals to see.<ref name="moyal" />{{rp|216}} According to biologist Stephen Jackson: "If you were to take a straw poll of the animal most closely associated with Australia, it's a fair bet that the koala would come out marginally in front of the kangaroo".<ref name="jackson" />{{rp|ix}} Factors that contribute to the koala's enduring popularity include its teddy bear-like appearance with childlike body proportions.<ref name="Martin-Handasyde" />{{rp|3}}

The koala features in the [[Dreamtime]] stories and [[Australian Aboriginal mythology|mythology]] of Indigenous Australians. The [[Tharawal people]] believed that the animal helped them get to Australia by rowing the boat.<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|21}} Another myth tells of a tribe that killed a koala and used its long intestines to create a bridge for people from other parts of the world.<ref name="Martin-Handasyde"/>{{rp|17}} How the koala lost its tail is the subject of many tales. In one, a kangaroo cuts it off to punish the koala for uncouth behaviour.<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|28}} Tribes in Queensland and Victoria regarded the koala as a wise animal that gave valuable guidance. [[Bidjara language|Bidjara]]-speaking people credited the koala for making trees grow in their arid lands.<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|41–43}} The animal is depicted in rock carvings, though less so than some other species.<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|45–46}}

Early European settlers in Australia considered the koala to be a creeping [[sloth]]-like animal with a "fierce and menacing look".<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|143}} At the turn of the 20th century, the koala's reputation took a positive turn. It appears in [[Ethel Pedley]]'s 1899 book ''[[Dot and the Kangaroo]]'', as the "funny native bear".<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|144}} Artist [[Norman Lindsay]] depicted a more [[anthropomorphic]] koala in ''[[The Bulletin (Australian periodical)|The Bulletin]]'' cartoons, starting in 1904. This character also appeared as Bunyip Bluegum in Lindsay's 1918 book ''[[The Magic Pudding]]''.<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|147}} The most well known fictional koala is [[Blinky Bill]]. Created by [[Dorothy Wall]] in 1933, the character appeared in books, films, TV series, merchandise, and a 1986 environmental song by [[John Williamson (singer)|John Williamson]].<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|149–52}} The koala first appeared on an [[Postage stamps and postal history of Australia|Australian stamp]] in 1930.<ref name=moyal/>{{rp|164}} 
[[File:President Obama holding a koala 3.jpg|thumb|right|upright|US President [[Barack Obama]] with a koala in [[Brisbane]], Australia]]
The song "Ode to a Koala Bear" appears on the B-side of the 1983 [[Paul McCartney]]/[[Michael Jackson]] duet single "[[Say Say Say]]".<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|151}} A koala is the main character in animated cartoons in the early 1980s: [[Hanna-Barbera]]'s ''[[The Kwicky Koala Show]]'' and [[Nippon Animation]]'s ''[[Noozles]]''. Food products shaped like the koala include the [[Caramello Koala]] chocolate bar and the bite-sized cookie snack [[Koala's March]]. [[Dadswells Bridge]] in Victoria features a tourist complex shaped like a giant koala<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|155–58}} and the [[Queensland Reds]] rugby team has a koala as its icon.<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|160}}

===Koala diplomacy===
Political leaders and members of royal families had their pictures taken with koalas, including [[Queen Elizabeth II]], [[Prince Harry]], [[Crown Prince Naruhito]], [[Crown Princess Masako]], [[Pope John Paul II]], US President [[Bill Clinton]], Soviet premier [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] and South African President [[Nelson Mandela]]<ref name=jackson/>{{rp|156}} At the [[2014 G20 Brisbane summit]], hosted by Prime Minister [[Tony Abbott]], many world leaders, including Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] and US President [[Barack Obama]], were photographed holding koalas.<ref>{{cite web |last=Donnison |first=Jon |date=16 November 2014 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-30075241 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112020848/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-30075241 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |title=G20 summit: Koalas and 'shirtfronting' |work=BBC News |access-date=23 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=President Obama, Putin Cozy Up With Koalas at G20 Summit |url=https://abcnews.go.com/News/president-obama-putin-cozy-koalas-g20-summit/story?id=26937335 |website=ABC News |language=en |last=Dimitrova |first=Kami |date=16 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303131537/https://abcnews.go.com/News/president-obama-putin-cozy-koalas-g20-summit/story?id=26937335 |archive-date=3 March 2021 |access-date=23 February 2021 }}</ref> The event gave rise to the term "koala diplomacy",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rimmer |first=Susan Harris |date=17 November 2014 |title=Koala diplomacy: Australian soft power saves the day at G20 |url=http://theconversation.com/koala-diplomacy-australian-soft-power-saves-the-day-at-g20-34147 |access-date=16 June 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227214645/https://theconversation.com/koala-diplomacy-australian-soft-power-saves-the-day-at-g20-34147 |archive-date=27 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Arup |first=Tom |date=26 December 2014 |title=The rise and influence of koala diplomacy |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-rise-and-influence-of-koala-diplomacy-20141224-12dj2b.html |access-date=16 June 2024 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117011938/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-rise-and-influence-of-koala-diplomacy-20141224-12dj2b.html |archive-date=17 January 2021}}</ref> which became the Oxford Word of the Month for December 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oup.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/89127/WotM_December_2016.pdf |title=Oxford Word of the Month – December: koala diplomacy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317214341/https://www.oup.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/89127/WotM_December_2016.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2022 |publisher=Oxford University Press|date=28 November 2016|access-date=23 February 2021 }}</ref> The term also includes the loan of koalas by the Australian government to overseas zoos in countries such as Singapore and Japan, as a form of "soft power diplomacy", like the "[[panda diplomacy]]" practised by China.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Koala diplomacy as furry envoys return to Australia |url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/news/news/Pages/koala-diplomacy-as-furry-envoys-return-to-australia,%20https://www.dfat.gov.au/news/news/Pages/koala-diplomacy-as-furry-envoys-return-to-australia |access-date=19 November 2024|website=www.dfat.gov.au |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613211243/https://www.dfat.gov.au/news/news/Pages/koala-diplomacy-as-furry-envoys-return-to-australia |archive-date=13 June 2021 |publisher=Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |date=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Markwell |first1=Kevin |last2=Cushing |first2=Nancy |date=20 May 2015 |title=Koalas, platypuses and pandas and the power of soft diplomacy |url=http://theconversation.com/koalas-platypuses-and-pandas-and-the-power-of-soft-diplomacy-42051 |access-date=16 June 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305111551/https://theconversation.com/koalas-platypuses-and-pandas-and-the-power-of-soft-diplomacy-42051 |archive-date=5 March 2021 }}</ref>