There is a BEAST in my front yard !!

[MultiMat]

 




Could it be a ferocious beast 

 

I am not sure 


Nope it be a bear but not a BAD bear  . The dogs sure do 'enjoy' the visits we get from kola bears  lots of barking & Kipper gets a bit too close for my liking  Bruce (our other dog) tends to show the claws a bit more respect, thankfully.

 

"what are you looking at mofo" . I sure was grateful when this bad boy cracked off a wiz ,that he missed our car by less than a couple of feet. I think given kola bears only eat eucalyptus leaves their urine is VERY concentrated & VERY oily ,it left a fair old stain on the driveway, better the concrete than the car duco(car's paint work), especially given we want too trade the car in the next couple of weeks  

[enki_ck]

He doesn't seem amused.

Cute though.

[Zed]

Aww so cute  but those claws   

[gregozedobe]

Aww so cute  but those claws  

That's coz he's related to a "drop bear" (yet another deadly Oz critter)

http://www.blueswami.com/drop_bears.html

[Grathr]

Do you have any native animals down under, that do not plan to kill you in your sleep? 

[J-sews]

  (Image removed from quote.)

Grateful that he missed whizzing the car, but also grateful that he missed whizzing the cameraman too I'll wager!

Mat those first few pictures look like they were taken with the grizzly koala at almost face level! How close were you able to get to the beast?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Why is it there are never any adorable surprises like that in my yard?  All I get are "gifts" from the neighbor's dogs....

Def

Sent from a digital multitool

[Grathr]

Why is it there are never any adorable surprises like that in my yard?  All I get are "gifts" from the neighbor's dogs....

Def

Sent from a digital multitool

The closest thing to a koala in my garden are a couple of badgers that sometimes sneak around doing mischief.

[Outback in Idaho]

    Drop bear!     

[MultiMat]

Aww so cute  but those claws  

That's coz he's related to a "drop bear" (yet another deadly Oz critter)

http://www.blueswami.com/drop_bears.html

I like this photo 

Do you have any native animals down under, that do not plan to kill you in your sleep? 

I am fairly sure no one has been offed by a kola  , they are pretty darn harmless, although one of the boys school teachers got her legs torn too shreds when her dog scared a kola & it climb up her for shelter  .

Grateful that he missed whizzing the car, but also grateful that he missed whizzing the cameraman too I'll wager!

Mat those first few pictures look like they were taken with the grizzly koala at almost face level! How close were you able to get to the beast?

Yep kolas are known for peeing on people , normally famous celebs or pollies(clever buggers  ).

Bob I was close enough to consider using my Wave as a size reference for the claws in a photo(only on MTO would you use a MT to give something a size comparison  ) But I am a big skirt & chickened out when it kinda growled at me when I got close 

Why is it there are never any adorable surprises like that in my yard?  All I get are "gifts" from the neighbor's dogs....

Def

Sent from a digital multitool

I don't know Def when my sister lived in Vancouver she encountered proper bears a couple times when walking her dog now that is a moment 

[Outback in Idaho]

  Drop bears aren't near as dangerous as the infamous bunyip though. Now there's a creature to be feared! 
  If the outback or sun doesn't get you, that swamp critter will.

[Ashley]

So cute.

[Rory]

Drop bears can also be defeated by wearing a pointed hat!

You got to look out for Ratchet Bears" as well, deadly , nasty little ratchet bears.

[PTRSAK]

I went out one night to help a friend who is a volunteer wildlife ranger to relocate a Koala who had taken up residence in a very small tree in the front yard of some old ladies home. She lived on a main road and was worried that the koala would climb down and get hit by a car trying to cross the road.
Al had all his koala catching gear with him in the back of the F100 (Burlap sack and a rag on a pole) but needed a second "operator" which is how I got roped in.
My job was to wave the rag in front of the koala which would make him back down out of the tree and then Al would grab him as he tried to make a run for it and stuff him in the sack.
Now this isn't your average  "raised in captivity" koala you see tourists cuddling at Lone Pine http://www.koala.net/  This was a full grown buck who was cranky at being woken up and having a red rag waved in his face. He let out a Scream/snarl that made me think that there was a cougar up that tree as well and when he got to the ground managed to twist around as Al was scruffing him (You pick them up like a cat but both ends, not just the neck) and got a couple of claws on Al's arm. Apparently the little buggers are just a ball of muscle and bad temper with scratchy/bitey things at each corner. After he (the koala) was stuffed into the sack we drove him a few Km's out of suburbia and let him go in a nice stand of tall gum trees at the end of a quiet road. Then a quick trip to get a couple of stitches in Al's arm and back to the computer games.

On a side note... You never just grabbed a sack that was in the back of Al's truck, I moved one that was in the way, to get at some other gear one day and afterwards he said "I hope you were gentle moving that 8 foot long python."...  He was serious.

[David]

Cute beast!

[Grant Lamontagne]

The great thing about our bears is that you don't ever accidentally stumble on one poking about in your yard.  When they are around, you pretty well know about it instantly!

Bears are a real problem up at my parent's place- they live well out in the woods, and it's not uncommon for them to wake up in the morning and find a flattened can and giant pile of bear poop where the garbage used to be!

Def

[Outback in Idaho]

I went out one night to help a friend who is a volunteer wildlife ranger to relocate a Koala who had taken up residence in a very small tree in the front yard of some old ladies home. She lived on a main road and was worried that the koala would climb down and get hit by a car trying to cross the road.
Al had all his koala catching gear with him in the back of the F100 (Burlap sack and a rag on a pole) but needed a second "operator" which is how I got roped in.
My job was to wave the rag in front of the koala which would make him back down out of the tree and then Al would grab him as he tried to make a run for it and stuff him in the sack.
Now this isn't your average  "raised in captivity" koala you see tourists cuddling at Lone Pine http://www.koala.net/  This was a full grown buck who was cranky at being woken up and having a red rag waved in his face. He let out a Scream/snarl that made me think that there was a cougar up that tree as well and when he got to the ground managed to twist around as Al was scruffing him (You pick them up like a cat but both ends, not just the neck) and got a couple of claws on Al's arm. Apparently the little buggers are just a ball of muscle and bad temper with scratchy/bitey things at each corner. After he (the koala) was stuffed into the sack we drove him a few Km's out of suburbia and let him go in a nice stand of tall gum trees at the end of a quiet road. Then a quick trip to get a couple of stitches in Al's arm and back to the computer games.

On a side note... You never just grabbed a sack that was in the back of Al's truck, I moved one that was in the way, to get at some other gear one day and afterwards he said "I hope you were gentle moving that 8 foot long python."...  He was serious.

  Ever thought of letting a video camera record it? Am curious as to what them things sound like, and... I could have some fun with the neighbors here in the trailer park. 

  We had a rather large horned owl up in the pine trees one night harassing the local dogs.

[nuphoria]

I would very much like a koala in my front yard, claws and all

[MultiMat]

I went out one night to help a friend who is a volunteer wildlife ranger to relocate a Koala who had taken up residence in a very small tree in the front yard of some old ladies home. She lived on a main road and was worried that the koala would climb down and get hit by a car trying to cross the road.
Al had all his koala catching gear with him in the back of the F100 (Burlap sack and a rag on a pole) but needed a second "operator" which is how I got roped in.
My job was to wave the rag in front of the koala which would make him back down out of the tree and then Al would grab him as he tried to make a run for it and stuff him in the sack.
Now this isn't your average  "raised in captivity" koala you see tourists cuddling at Lone Pine http://www.koala.net/  This was a full grown buck who was cranky at being woken up and having a red rag waved in his face. He let out a Scream/snarl that made me think that there was a cougar up that tree as well and when he got to the ground managed to twist around as Al was scruffing him (You pick them up like a cat but both ends, not just the neck) and got a couple of claws on Al's arm. Apparently the little buggers are just a ball of muscle and bad temper with scratchy/bitey things at each corner. After he (the koala) was stuffed into the sack we drove him a few Km's out of suburbia and let him go in a nice stand of tall gum trees at the end of a quiet road. Then a quick trip to get a couple of stitches in Al's arm and back to the computer games.

On a side note... You never just grabbed a sack that was in the back of Al's truck, I moved one that was in the way, to get at some other gear one day and afterwards he said "I hope you were gentle moving that 8 foot long python."...  He was serious.

Nice work Peter  yep those claws sure can do a bit of damage. Snakes 

The first time our eldest son heard a kola grunting he tore inside & said "dad I think their is a lion or something outside"  , he was quite young at the time 

The great thing about our bears is that you don't ever accidentally stumble on one poking about in your yard.  When they are around, you pretty well know about it instantly!

Bears are a real problem up at my parent's place- they live well out in the woods, and it's not uncommon for them to wake up in the morning and find a flattened can and giant pile of bear poop where the garbage used to be!

Def

Well I guess the bear considers that a fair trade 

I would very much like a koala in my front yard, claws and all

How about one of these Nuph 

[nuphoria]

Oh yeah, that would be a good start! I think we have something like Freddy the Frog which is the same here.

Now Cherry Ripes.... THAT we have no competition for

[Grant Lamontagne]

Koalas are filled with creamy caramel?  Jeez, time to go hunting then! 

Def

Sent from my Motorola Atrix digital multitool.

[stealth007s]

Oh yeah, that would be a good start! I think we have something like Freddy the Frog which is the same here.

Now Cherry Ripes.... THAT we have no competition for

Did someone say Cherry Ripes

Not sure that I would like the koala in my yard though. I hear they're mean.