Members of the public are legally prohibited from holding, carrying, or supporting the physical weight of a koala.

Trouble-o-Meter
Zoos will instantly lose their operating licenses for allowing cuddling.

Status: still on the books

Why Is This a Law?

Koalas are solitary, low-energy marsupials that require up to twenty hours of sleep a day. Being constantly lifted and held by strangers causes extreme psychological stress. Animal welfare scientists successfully lobbied governments to ban tourist cuddling to protect the species.

A citizen earnestly dealing with the law: Members of the public are legally prohibited from holding, carrying, or supporting the physical weight of a koala.