How much can a koala bear?
It seems the marsupial has its limits, with a popular Queensland sanctuary becoming the latest tourist destination to ban "stressful" koala cuddles.
For decades, Brisbane's Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary had let visitors get up close and personal with their furry fauna.
Since opening in 1927, the tourist hot spot had set up countless "holding" encounters for everyone from Vladimir Putin to Taylor Swift and tennis champions Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer.
However, those days are over, with the sanctuary replacing cuddly pics with "koality time" close-up experiences since Monday.
"The decision has been made in response to increasingly strong visitor feedback, wishing to spend longer with the sanctuary's koalas...without necessarily holding them," Lone Pine said in a statement on Wednesday.
Cuddling a koala had become a popular picture opportunity at Lone Pine but it seems they were not "happy snaps" for the marsupials.
"Koalas are solitary, wild animals, and can be stressed in interactions with humans," Queensland Conservation Council's Jen Basham told AAP.
"We know Queenslanders and tourists alike are thrilled when they encounter koalas, but nothing beats seeing them in their natural habitat.
"We welcome the announcement from Lone Pine, and the direction they are heading in and their renewed focus on conservation."
World Animal Protection Australia's Suzanne Milthorpe said koalas would have found the tourist cuddles "stressful".
It backed Lone Pine becoming the latest Australian venue to outlaw the practice, calling on the Queensland tourism industry to follow its lead.
Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia are the only states to allow koala holding.
"Lone Pine is responding to feedback from their local and international visitors which underlines that public sentiment is continuing to shift away from direct interactions with wildlife," Ms Milthorpe said.
“The future of wildlife tourism is seeing wild animals in the wild where they belong.
"Tourists are increasingly moving away from outdated, stressful selfie encounters - the Queensland tourism industry needs to respond to these changes now."
Instead of a cuddle, Lone Pine introduced Koala Close-Up that offered visitors extended time and "meaningful connections" with the marsupials.
"Once you see them up close and in their wonderful natural state, we hope our guests love and respect them even more," Lone Pine's Lyndon Discombe said.
Koala cuddles had been up there with kissing babies for politicians.
But Queensland Premier Steven Miles was not fretting over Lone Pine's call, or any potential impact on tourism dollars.
"I understand this is a business decision for them...so I'll leave that to them," he said.
"What I can assure people is that the environmental department has very strong regulation of when and how animals can be exhibited and animals can be held.
"I used to joke as the environment minister that our koalas have the best union around."
