birding-aus

Why do cattle hate koalas?

To: Anthea Fleming <>
Subject: Why do cattle hate koalas?
From: Fer Arce via Birding-Aus <>
Date: Tue, 02 Apr 2019 23:25:02 +1100
Bears are not an issue to cattle,not nearly as close as wolves or lynx (eurasian, iberian is a really marginal problem).
Anyway, it is not the major predator of Europe at all. Biggest in size but not a real predator that threaten cattle.
Cheers
Fer

Sent from my Delorean in 1789 using a phone

Sent from BlueMail
On 2 Apr. 2019, at 20:41, Anthea Fleming <> wrote:
Not a bird story but intriguing
I support Wild
life Victoria. Their latest communique tells the tale of an unfortunate baby Koala, rescued after her mother was killed on the ground by a herd of cows.
Apparently this is not at all unknown, and in fact cattle are said to have an insane hatred of Koalas.  However they do not object to Wombats.
I am wondering why this happens.  The best I can suggest is that possibly cattle have an inherited recognition of the major predator of Europe and Asia - bears.
Koalas are remarkably like an under-sized bear and when I was a child they were usually called Native Bears in the bush. Saying Koala was a bit fancy.  A book word.
The only other animal I know of with an instinctive bear reaction is the Honey Bee - which is why you had better not wear a brown shaggy jumper if you have to deal with them. Bears are serious hive-predators.

I have heard of a group of Scots Red Deer (hinds with calves) surrounding a Fox and trampling it to death.  It was a threat to their young, and en masse they could deal with it.  I don't know if they would go for a dog in the same way.

Anthea Fleming
Ivanhoe




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