Threatened koalas in UK

FIVE southern koalas have been flown to the UK to start a back-up population of the threatened species.

The four females and one male are part of a breeding programme away from such risks as disease in their native Australia.

Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire will be the only place in Europe visitors can see southern koalas.

They arrived from Adelaide on Thursday with two southern hairy-nosed wombats. Longleat said: “All are settling in well.”