Grand Rapids, Mich. – Join us for 3 days of Wild and Wonderful at Koalapalooza this Labor Day Weekend. John Ball Zoo will host Koalapalooza, a three-day celebration of all thing’s koalas – raising awareness for their conservation and saying “farewell” to Noorundi and Iluka, two male koalas that have been visiting John Ball Zoo since May.
Koalapalooza runs Saturday, September 3rd through Monday, September 5th from 9:00a.m.-6:00p.m. each day. Daily events include a steel drum band, live music lineup, face painting, strolling animal experiences and daily cookouts that include turkey legs, BBQ Brisket sandwich, polish sausages and more. Guests attending Koalapalooza can watch Zookeepers interact with the koalas at 10:30a.m. with an additional feeding at 3:00p.m. each day.
Koalapalooza is included in the cost of daily admission and is free to members. To speed up your entry to the event, purchase your tickets in advance at https://shop.jbzoo.org/all/tickets.
Noorundi (4 yrs), and Iluka (2 yrs), are visiting John Ball Zoo on-loan as part of the San Diego Zoo’s Koala Education and Conservation Program. After Labor Day, the koalas will be heading back to the San Diego Zoo.
Koalas were recently raised from the status of Vulnerable, to Endangered in Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC). Threats to koalas include habitat destruction, domestic dog attacks, bushfires, and road accidents.
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance maintains the largest koala population outside Australia. This program generates funding to support research and conservation initiatives ranging from habitat mapping to studying koala biology in collaboration with partners. There is a strong element of conservation education and outreach to the program, which has been in place for more than 30 years. Koalas have recently been listed as Endangered due to rising threats to their native populations in Australia.
John Ball Zoo does not have plans to bring koalas under our care permanently, but we are happy to have partnered with the San Diego Zoo to host Noorundi and Iluka for the past several months and to help continue spreading awareness of this adorable species.
Below is the full itinerary for the event!
Saturday, September 3rd
* 9:00am-10:30am
* Pangea Steeldrum Band
* 10:30am-11:30am
* Koala habitat cleaning & Koala weighing
* 12:00pm-2:00pm
* Brandon Ward, keyboards & vocals
* 3:00pm
* Koala feeding
* 3:30pm-5:30pm
* Live Music
Sunday, September 4th
* 9:00am-10:30am
* Pangea Steeldrum Band
* 10:30am-11:30am
* Koala habitat cleaning & Koala weighing
* 12:00pm-2:00pm
* Live Music
* 3:00pm
* Koala feeding
* 3:30pm-5:30pm
* Project 90 Band
Monday, September 5th
* 9:00am-10:30am
* Moonshot Duo
* 10:30am-11:30am
* Koala habitat cleaning & Koala weighing
* 12:00pm-2:00pm
* Whiskey Bound Band
* 3:00pm
* Koala feeding
* 3:30pm-5:30pm
* Pangea Steeldrum Band