"Believe it or not, koalas are not bears! (They are marsupials.)"  So says Ripley, and I buy it.  Believe it or not, koalas are also very heavy, like furry sacks full of sludge.  Their coats are soft, which deceives you, because the little bastards can be pretty vicious.  They're slow and adorable, and spend the day eating and sleeping, but they're also pretty skilled at clawing out chunks of your face if you annoy them. Never cross a koala. You can start by not telling him he's a bear.

Lots of places in Australia have banned koala hugging.  Seems strange--I mean this guy, named Riff-Raff, is obviously tame, and he speaks fluent French--but apparently the cuddly critters can't take the excitement of being held and often drop dead from heart attacks. At the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary outside of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, it's still okay. I hugged away.

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