August 18, 1999
Web posted at: 7:08 p.m. EDT (2308 GMT)

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- More than 100,000 visitors have waited in line for hours recently to catch a brief glimpse of a pair of male koalas making their debut at the Taipei Zoo.

To prevent overcrowding, zoo officials constructed a tour route that whisked visitors past the koala exhibit after viewing each animal for no more than one minute.

The pair, Harley and Patrick, were donated by Australia last month.

Zoo officials grew eucalyptus trees to acclimate the koalas to their new surroundings. The marsupials feed, very selectively, on about 1.3 kilograms (3 pounds) of eucalyptus leaves each day.

Once killed for its fur, and further decimated by disease and human encroachment, the koala population has dwindled from several million to a few hundred thousand in recent years.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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