The Cuddly Koala

by Amelia Cobb

  “What school project, Zoe?” asked Great-Uncle Horace.

  Zoe quickly explained what she had to do. “I can make lots of notes about the joey’s behaviour, and what he likes to eat, and exactly what he looks like. I think Miss Hawkins would love that – plus, I can give all the notes to Kieran when he gets back, so he’ll know everything there is to know about the joey!”

  “I’m not sure, Zoe,” said Lucy. “Looking after an animal all by yourself is a big responsibility, especially a baby.”

  “She doesn’t have to do it all by herself,” said Great-Uncle Horace. “I’ll be there to help too. We can do it together!”

  Zoe beamed at him, and Great-Uncle Horace winked back.

  “Well…” Lucy hesitated.

  “Please say yes, Mum!” begged Zoe, and even Meep crossed his tiny fingers hopefully.

  Lucy smiled. “As long as you promise to ask me, Great-Uncle Horace or one of the other zookeepers for help if you get stuck – then yes, I think we can give it a try. I can see how much this means to you, Zoe, and I know you’ll work really hard.”

  “Yay!” cried Zoe, jumping up to give her mum a big hug. “Thanks, Mum! I won’t let you down.”

  Lucy hugged Zoe back. “You’re going to be busy!” she said. “The joey will need to be hand-fed something called pap until he’s a little bit older. Then he’ll move on to eucalyptus, so you’ll need to introduce him to the trees in his enclosure, and try to interest him in the leaves.”

  Great-Uncle Horace smiled. “We’ll also encourage him to start climbing! It’s wonderful exercise for a koala and will keep his claws in tip-top condition. If they’re strong and healthy, that will help this little fellow to grip tree trunks and move up and down them easily,” he added, nodding at the joey’s small grey paws and curved black claws. “Climbing is very important for koalas, because that’s how they find their own leaves to eat and take care of themselves.”

  Zoe was starting to feel a little bit dizzy – there was so much to remember! But she also felt very excited. She was going to look after a gorgeous baby koala for a whole week! On her shoulder, Meep was hopping up and down. “I’ll help too, I’ll help too!” he chattered in Zoe’s ear.

  “I think the first thing to do is learn how to hold the joey properly,” suggested Great-Uncle Horace. “Why don’t I pass him over to you now, Zoe? Make a cradle with your arms – that’s it.”

  Zoe bent her arms as if she was rocking a baby to sleep, which was the way Great-Uncle Horace had taught her to hold smaller animals like this one. An excited smile crossed her face as Great-Uncle Horace gently passed the joey to her. The little koala snuggled up against her immediately. “He’s quite heavy, isn’t he!” Zoe said, surprised. “And his fur is so soft and warm.”

  “Uncle Horace, we’ll need to decide where the joey will live until he’s ready to move in to his enclosure,” said Lucy. “It might be a few weeks before he’s climbing by himself and can find his own food. Until then, he’ll need feeding by hand several times during the day and night.”

  As Lucy and Great-Uncle Horace quietly chatted, Zoe moved around so that she was facing away from them and could whisper to the joey without them noticing. “My name is Zoe,” she told him, keeping her voice as low as possible. “And this is Meep, my best friend. What’s your name?”

  The joey looked very surprised to hear Zoe talking – but then he cuddled up to her even tighter. He replied with soft little grunt, and Zoe grinned. “Kipp? It’s nice to meet you, Kipp,” she whispered, still smiling at him. “Meep and I are going to look after you this week.”

  Kipp’s dark eyes opened wide and he gave a happy squeak. Just then, Lucy said, “Zoe? We’ve had an idea.”

  “The joey can live at Higgins Hall with me until he’s ready to live in the koala enclosure,” explained Great-Uncle Horace. “Koalas are nocturnal animals, Zoe, which means they like to be active and awake at night – so tonight we’ll have a sleepover! We can take it in turns to stay up late, feeding and looking after this little fellow. What do you think?”

  “I think that’s a brilliant idea. And I love sleepovers!” cried Zoe, and Meep leaped down from her shoulder and somersaulted excitedly on the ground. A sleepover at Higgins Hall! Zoe couldn’t think of a more fun place to spend the night than the huge, grand house overlooking the zoo. It had belonged to Great-Uncle Horace’s family for hundreds of years, and had vast kitchens, a library and even a ballroom. But Great-Uncle Horace had turned almost all of the rooms into homes for different animals, keeping just the attic for himself and Kiki. There was always something interesting to see, no matter which door you opened.

  “We’ll have to find you a spare bedroom somewhere,” Great-Uncle Horace said thoughtfully. “But the animals have taken over almost every nook and cranny of the Hall…”

  “Why don’t we dig out your sleeping bag?” suggested Lucy. “You could camp, Zoe!”

  Zoe’s eyes lit up. “That would be so much fun! Please can I do that, Great-Uncle Horace?”

  “An excellent idea! We’ll set your sleeping bag up in the butterfly room,” Great-Uncle Horace told Zoe, smiling. “I know that’s your favourite room at the Hall, my dear. It’s certainly one of the prettiest. You might not get very much sleep though, because the joey will need lots of care and attention! And I’ll make sure we have plenty of delicious snacks. Let me see: strawberry ice cream, popcorn, and hot chocolate to drink. And of course, lots of custard creams!” he added happily. Custard cream biscuits were Great-Uncle Horace’s favourite things to eat, and he always kept a big supply at the Hall.

  Zoe grinned, and Kipp gave a happy little grunt. Of course, Great-Uncle Horace and Lucy didn’t know that the joey had understood everything they had just said – and now he was excited about the sleepover, too!

  “I’ll take him to the zoo hospital now, to give him a quick check-up,” Lucy said, gently taking Kipp from Zoe. The little koala gave a whimper as she did, and held his paws out towards Zoe, but she nodded encouragingly at him.

  “He’s very attached to you already, love!” laughed Lucy. “Why don’t you go back to the cottage and start getting your bag packed for tonight? I’ll walk you over to the Hall after we’ve had tea.”

  “And I’ll see you soon!” said Great-Uncle Horace.

  As Zoe walked back to the cottage, she couldn’t stop herself from grinning. “I can’t wait for tonight, Meep,” she told her little friend, who was scampering along next to her. “And I can’t wait to start my school project either. I never imagined it would be so much fun!”

  Chapter Four

  Sleepover Time

  “Toothbrush, pillow … I think I’ve nearly got everything,” said Zoe, looking around her bedroom. “Now I just need my pyjamas. Which ones shall I take, Meep?”

  There was a little squeak from inside Zoe’s wardrobe and Meep poked his tiny head around the door. “I know! Your blue ones with the kangaroos on them. They might make Kipp feel more at home, Zoe, because kangaroos are from Australia too!”

  “Good idea, Meep!” said Zoe, chuckling. She found the pyjamas and stuffed them into her bag, and then they rushed downstairs to the kitchen, where Zoe’s mum was waiting.

  “Would you like me to walk over to the Hall with you, love?” Lucy offered.

  Zoe shook her head. “No, it’s OK. I know you need to get back to the zoo hospital. I’ll be fine!”

  Lucy gave Zoe a big hug. “All right. Well, have lots of fun, and remember to ring me if you and Great-Uncle Horace are having any problems with the joey. And I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Zoe and Meep walked through the zoo to Higgins Hall together. All the visitors had gone home for the day and the zoo gates were shut. The paths were quiet, and that meant Zoe could stop and chat to her animal friends along the way. “I’m going for a sleepover at the Hall!” she explained to the curious parrots, who called out to her in noisy squawks, wondering what she was carrying a big overnight bag for. “It’s so I can help look after t
he new baby koala, Kipp. I’m so excited!”

  “And I’m going to help too!” added Meep importantly.

  When they arrived at the Hall, Zoe pushed open the huge, grand front door and stepped straight inside. It was always so noisy in the Hall, because of all the squeaking and squawking of the different animals and birds who lived there, so Zoe knew that if she knocked on the door or rang the doorbell, Great-Uncle Horace wouldn’t hear it anyway!

  “Great-Uncle Horace, I’m here!” she called, walking through the hallway. The walls were covered in old paintings of Great-Uncle Horace’s ancestors, all of them dressed in funny old-fashioned clothes, and Zoe smiled to see dozens of cute little hummingbirds perched along the tops of the picture frames. They all chirped eagerly at her as she passed them, and she whispered back, “I know, isn’t it exciting? I love sleepovers!”

  “Zoe, is that you?” called Great-Uncle Horace’s voice. “Oh, good! I’m in the kitchen. Why don’t you roll out your sleeping bag, and then come and join me in here?”

  Zoe carried her things into the butterfly room. Great-Uncle Horace had cleared a space for her in a cosy corner, and piled up extra blankets and cushions that he’d collected from around the Hall, so that Zoe could make a snug bed for herself. When she’d finished setting it up, she headed back to the kitchen.

  She had to bite back a giggle when she walked in – Great-Uncle Horace had thrown open all the cupboards and was piling the kitchen table high with snacks and treats. She spotted at least three packets of custard cream biscuits! Kipp was clinging to Great-Uncle Horace’s front, and he was supporting the little joey with one arm while he arranged their picnic with his spare hand.

  Kipp squealed happily when he saw Zoe. “There you are!” said Great-Uncle Horace, beaming at her. “Now, I hope you’re hungry because we’ve got lots of tasty things to eat. What would you like first? Popcorn? Ice cream? We could even build a little fire in the fireplace and toast marshmallows!” He winked at her. “I know you have a sweet tooth like me, my dear!”

  Zoe and her uncle tucked into the snacks, with Kipp cuddled up on Great-Uncle Horace’s lap. As they ate, they chatted about his adventures in Australia, and how Zoe was getting on at school. Zoe also told Great-Uncle Horace that she’d thought of a name for the joey. Whenever Zoe met a new arrival at the zoo and secretly asked them their name, she had to pretend she had come up with it herself!

  “I think we should call him Kipp,” she said, giving the little joey a secret smile.

  “That’s a splendid name,” Great-Uncle Horace agreed, nodding enthusiastically. He broke up a custard cream for Kiki to nibble, and shared some of the crumbs with a few interested pelicans that waddled into the room too. When they couldn’t eat another bite, Great-Uncle Horace picked up Kipp and then told Zoe to follow him into the library, where he showed her all the things she would need to look after the little koala that night.

  “This is pap,” he told her, using his spare hand to pick up a bowl full of what looked like wobbly green jelly. “It has lots of the same vitamins and goodness that eucalyptus leaves do, but it’s just a little bit easier for a joey to digest than real leaves. Joeys as small as Kipp like to eat very often, because they’re growing quickly, and that makes them hungry a lot of the time! So if Kipp finishes this whole bowl, there’s lots more pap in the fridge. I also went to the koala enclosure this afternoon and picked some eucalyptus leaves. He might like to try one or two, although he shouldn’t eat too many just yet.”

  Zoe nodded. “And where will he sleep?” she asked.

  “Just here.” Great-Uncle Horace pointed to a small, round, cosy-looking bed next to one of the huge bookcases. It reminded Zoe of the sort of bed a puppy might sleep in. “But as I said before,” he continued, “koalas are nocturnal, so I think he may be awake and ready to play for most of the night! If that’s the case, you could show him this special climbing apparatus that I’ve had brought in.”

  Great-Uncle Horace nodded to a wooden post behind Zoe that was almost as tall as him, with different wooden platforms and ledges sticking out along it. “I’ve been encouraging him to have a go, but he’s much more interested in cuddles than climbing,” he added. “I think Kipp might be scared of being abandoned again, after his mother left him. So it’s even more important that we get him climbing soon – because if Kipp becomes used to being carried around as a baby, and never learns to climb by himself, he’ll never be able to find his own food and live a happy, healthy koala lifestyle.”

  Zoe nodded. “I understand. Do you want to go first looking after Kipp, or shall I?” she asked hopefully.

  Great-Uncle Horace chuckled. “I think you’d like to go first, my dear – isn’t that right? I’ll take a nap now, and I’ll be down in a little while to take over. Then it will be your turn to sleep! You must promise to wake me up if you have any problems though.”

  Zoe promised, and excitedly ran to the butterfly room to get changed into her pyjamas. Then she ran back to the library, gave Great-Uncle Horace a goodnight hug and kiss, and carefully took Kipp from him. Again, Zoe was surprised at how heavy he felt! The little koala gave a happy squeak as he snuggled down in Zoe’s arms, but Zoe waited until she heard the door to Great-Uncle Horace’s attic bedroom click shut before she spoke to him.

  “Meep and I have been really looking forward to seeing you again, Kipp!” she told the joey, giving him a cuddle. “Are you feeling sleepy yet?”

  The joey shook his little head firmly, his eyes bright and wide awake, and Zoe giggled. “You definitely don’t seem sleepy! OK then, Kipp – would you like to try climbing? We’ve got this brilliant climbing frame for you to practise on,” she added, turning Kipp round so he could see it.

  “Or maybe you’re hungry?” suggested Meep helpfully.

  Kipp gave an eager squeak, and Zoe laughed. “OK, Kipp – let’s feed you,” she replied. “Great-Uncle Horace told us all about this special mixture.”

  She sat in Great-Uncle Horace’s comfiest armchair, with Meep perched on her shoulder. Kipp was nestled in one arm, and Zoe held the bowl of pap in her other hand. She secretly thought it looked a bit strange, but Kipp squealed excitedly when he saw it, and gobbled the whole lot down. Then Zoe offered him a eucalyptus leaf. He gave it a curious sniff, then nibbled it happily. “Wow, you really were hungry!” exclaimed Zoe when he was finished, patting the joey’s full tummy. “Maybe now you’d like to have a go at climbing?”

  But the little koala gave a happy sigh and cuddled up against Zoe even more tightly. Great-Uncle Horace was right – Kipp wasn’t interested in climbing when he could cuddle instead! Zoe giggled at how snug and cute he was, but she remembered what Great-Uncle Horace had warned her about.

  “Meep, it’s really important that Kipp starts to learn how to climb,” she whispered. “Great-Uncle Horace would be so pleased if Kipp had already had a go by the time he came back downstairs!”

  Meep nodded, and then his big golden eyes lit up. “What if I show him how, Zoe?” the little lemur suggested. “I’m good at climbing!”

  “That’s a great idea, Meep!” said Zoe. “Kipp, watch Meep! Don’t you think it looks fun?”

  Meep scampered over to the bottom of the climbing post and turned to make sure the joey was watching him. Then he leaped lightly up the post to the first wooden platform, hopped up to the next, and scurried the rest of the way. At the very top he balanced on one paw and pulled a funny face. “Easy peasy!” he squeaked.

  Kipp looked interested, and held out his little paws towards the post. Zoe put him down carefully at the bottom and showed him how to use his claws to grip the wood. “That’s it!” she said encouragingly, as Kipp slowly moved his right paw up the post. “Now do the same with your left paw.”

  But Kipp wouldn’t go any higher. He stopped where he was and squealed anxiously to get down. “OK, Kipp, don’t worry. I’m coming,” Zoe reassured him, rushing to pick him up again. “There – I’ve got you! That was a really good start, Kipp. I’m very proud
of you for giving it a try.”

  Kipp clung tightly to her front and buried his little face against her pyjamas. Zoe felt a pang of worry. “Meep, I think this is going to be harder than I’d first thought,” she whispered to her friend, who was still sitting on her shoulder. “We’ll try again tomorrow. We’ve got to do everything we can to get Kipp climbing!”

  Just a few hours later, Great-Uncle Horace came down to look after Kipp, yawning sleepily. Meep giggled when he saw Great-Uncle Horace’s pyjamas: they were bright orange and covered in little zebras!

  “Well well, our little friend looks happy!” he said, beaming at Kipp, who was trying another eucalyptus leaf. “You must have done a splendid job, Zoe. Now, it’s time for you to get some rest. Go and get comfy in your sleeping bag.”

  Zoe nodded. This was the latest she had ever stayed up before, and she was feeling really sleepy, although she was sad to leave Kipp when they’d been having so much fun! Great-Uncle Horace seemed to guess what she was thinking, because he added, “Don’t worry, my dear – it will be morning before you know it, and then you’ll see Kipp again.”

  Zoe and Meep were both yawning by the time they reached the butterfly room. As Zoe pushed the door open there was a gentle rustling sound, like someone walking through autumn leaves: all the butterflies stirring.

  “Sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Zoe whispered. “We’ll try to be really quiet.”