Animals Series

Can u spot the koala on the highest point of the tree?
Spot the 3 koalas amongst the trees

Say "Awww!.. Sleeping Koala, Great Ocean Road, Melbourne, Summer, Feb 2008
Realised there are some leit motif amongst pictures I took on my travels, so presenting the 1st series on "Animals". Saw 4 koalas at a clump of eucalyptus trees around noon time along the Great Ocean Road. The tour guide says we're lucky to see so many at then same time, & all were engaged in different activities. Had to strain the eyes against the strong summer sun & use camera zoom function to capture these pics, as the koala were really high on the tall trees. The pic above is of a cuddly koala sleeping contentedly. Koalas must have strong, tenacious claws to avoid falling from trees when sleeping!

Overweight koala (he's the largest of the 4) busy munching on leaves. Maybe this explains its obesity?

According to the tour guide, koalas might look deceptively small & adorable, but can be really destructive. Their fastidious eating habits of eating a particular species of eucalyptus trees mean they can kill an entire colony of the plant. The sections of the hill where there were patches of dead trees with white, barren trunks showed they have been "visited & destroyed" by koalas. Koalas have literally eaten the trees to death!

Baby koala climbing downwards to mummy
Baby & mummy are reunited at last
Seagulls at St Kilda's Beach, Melbourne, Summer, Feb 2008
Squirrel at Botanic Gardens, Singapore, June 2007

Mandarin duck at Ryoanji Temple pond, Kyoto, Japan, Summer, Aug 2007 Koi fishes, Ryokan Ginkaku, Kyoto, Japan, Summer, Aug 2007
Beavers, Arashiyama, Japan, Summer, Aug 2007

Okie, they're not real, but they're really "kawaii"! The statues of this beaver family are positioned outside the train platform at Arashiyama to welcome passengers alighting from the Romantic Train. Looking at them really puts a smile on your face :)