This unusual way of weighing koalas was shown by the staff of Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, located on Kangaroo Island in Australia. Instead of simply placing the bear on the cold surface of the scale and making it stay still, the staff created a special scale for the koalas – with a “built-in” branch.

Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park explains, “Regular weighing of the koalas, especially the joeys, is important to make sure they are staying healthy, putting on weight and keeping it on.”
This gives the koalas, and especially the fearful little ones, something to hold on to and makes them feel safe.

This is done to make koalas feel more relaxed, as if they were just sitting in a tree. With this construction, it is possible to determine the exact weight of the koala, since the scales already take into account the exact weight of the improvised branch.
There are many koalas living in the park on Kangaroo Island, and staff members periodically weigh them, especially the babies.