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Many wildlife entertainment venues and theme parks in Queensland like Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and Dreamworld offer "holding a koala" experiences for photos.

Image credit: World Animal Protection / Carol Slater

Koalas are stressed when constantly surrounded by people in close encounters. They display ‘visitor-vigilant’ behaviours like avoiding visitors by trying to climb up and away from people. Or keeping their eyes wide and ears pricked.

In the wild, koalas sleep for 20 hours a day to conserve energy after eating difficult-to-digest eucalyptus leaves. But some close encounters force them to be awake and active for hours.

Most visitors to wildlife entertainment venues love wild animals or want to learn more about them. But they may not know about the stress and suffering wild animals like koalas endure when they are being cuddled or held for a photo.