[Columbia, SC] - After flying over 2,000 miles with his personal keeper by his side, Great, Riverbanks’ new male koala, arrived at the Zoo late Monday evening. Throughout the week when the marsupial was not perched on a tree in his new home in Riverbanks’ Koala Knockabout, he was exploring his new environment, munching on eucalyptus leaves flown directly over from San Diego, and of course, making up for lost sleep.

“Over the past few years, I have flown with nearly twenty koalas from the San Diego Zoo to different zoos in the United States and Europe,” said Jennifer Moll, senior marsupial keeper at the San Diego Zoo. “Typically koalas experience some nervousness on a plane flight but they quickly adapt to their new surroundings.”

What’s it like to travel with a koala across the country? Southwest Airlines was very instrumental in the successful transportation. Great was transported in a large covered crate that required two seats to ensure his comfort during the long plane ride. Moll was approached numerous times throughout the day by inquisitive travelers. A seasoned animal transporter, Moll has found that it is helpful to put a picture of the animal on top of the crate. Due to regulations, the animal is not allowed to be uncovered. This helps cure any anxiety or curiosity that travelers may have.

Great was born in 2001 at the Kanazawa Zoo in Japan. He arrived at the San Diego Zoo in 2004. The staff at Riverbanks began working with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) on the transfer over six months ago. According to the SSP, Great is a good genetic match for Riverbanks’ two female koalas, Lottie and Killarney. The staff hopes that Great will successfully mate with the females, further enhancing the population of captive bred koalas in the United States.

Koalas only eat the leaves of certain types of eucalyptus trees. Riverbanks receives its eucalyptus leaves from suppliers in Florida and Arizona with a seasonal backup supplier in South Carolina. Great will be given the choice of eucalyptus leaves from suppliers for the San Diego Zoo and Riverbanks until he becomes better acclimated to his surroundings. Moll, the keeper who traveled from the San Diego Zoo with Great, will return to San Diego today.

Riverbanks originally received its koalas as the result of a sister-state relationship established in 1999 between the states of South Carolina and Queensland, Australia. As part of the relationship and as a result of the gifts, Riverbanks and the government of Queensland are collaborating on projects to benefit koalas living at the zoo and in the wild in Queensland.

Koalas are considered a national treasure by the Australian government and are rarely made available to zoos in other countries. Only a handful of zoos in the United States exhibit koalas.