Furry intermission: Asean-Australia summit attendees captivated by guest koalas

Anwar feeding a koala on the sidelines of his meeting at the Government House.

MELBOURNE: Leaders and officials attending the Asean-Australia Special Summit 2024 were given a rare opportunity to be up close with two koalas, an iconic native animal of Australia, as a break from their busy meeting schedule at Government House here.

The presence of Hank and Winnie from a private wildlife educational centre on Wednesday (March 6) certainly gave summit attendees the chance to see and feel a unique aspect of Australia.

Perched in the forks of branches of two eucalyptus trees, the adorable koalas were feeding away on the leaves while leaders, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, observed them and took pictures.

Some gave in to their cuteness and flipped out their mobile phones to take selfies with the animals.

In addition to the koalas, a frilled-neck lizard, a barn owl and a baby albino crocodile were also brought to the international media centre on Tuesday (March 5), much to the delight and surprise of the media practitioners.

The dignitaries and media personnel covering the event took turns to have their pictures taken with these rare animals while learning about the creatures' traits from several handlers.

Lao National Television deputy director-general Malayvieng Vongchandy said it was a "magical and wonderful"” experience when petting Hank.

"His fur was so soft, and his eyes were filled with curiosity as he fed on the young eucalyptus leaves from my hand.

"It was thoughtful of the Australian government to arrange to have the animals here at the media centre," she said.

Cambodia's Khmer Times national editor Ben Sokhean said he was thrilled to touch koalas for the first time.

"It feels great to see these animals here because we don't get to go out as we are tied up covering the summit," he said.