Zookeeper Diary - Ben (Koalas)

Ben Ustman started out as an intern at the zoo 7 years ago and has been a keeper for the past 2 years. Ben was a biology major in school and has always had a strong passion for zoology and especially his native Koalas.

July 15th, 2007
Well Irwin appears to be very happy with the other Koalas and is growing up very fast. There's this one tree in the habitat which seems to be his favorite place to hang out, and he only likes the leaves from one side of tree. He seems to be a very picky eater.

June 2nd, 2007
Today was the first day Irwin got to join the other Koalas in the habitat and he seems to be integrating nicely with the others. He stayed to himself for the most part and was able to climb the trees and play structures fairly well so we think his strength is back to normal.

May 18th, 2007
The new baby Koala has a name, Irwin, named after one of Windaroo's first keepers. The staff threw a small birthday party for Irwin and we should have some photos up for public viewing shortly.

May 14th, 2007
Today was pretty exciting as we welcomed a new baby Koala to the family. We rescued him from the wild where he was believed to be the only one left in his family. He is a very energetic little guy and surprisingly friendly to the zoo staff. He's going to spend some time with the keepers before he's allowed to interact with the other Koalas. He still needs to regain his strength and get a little bigger.