Why do Australians still tell Drop Bear jokes to immigrants/expats who have been in Australia for years?
Why do Australians still tell Drop Bear jokes to immigrants/expats who have been in Australia for years?Because most Australians and immigrants are not aware that when the weather gets hot, Koalas can become dehydrated and fall out their trees. Drop bears do exist in the real world, the only fallacy is they being predators.Bushies know not to walk under tall gum trees during hot weather, and usually carry a spare bottle of water. You never know when you are going to have to rehydrate a Koala & save a life.Koala’s may look stupid but they aren’t dumb. Generally they get their water needs from the gum leaves they eat, but when that isn’t enough they’ll seek water and out bush have learnt to turn a tap to get water (but to the annoyance of farmers they haven’t learnt to turn them back off), and they’ll even seek the aid of humans…Thirsty Koala Flags Down American Cyclists For A DrinkGiven most peoples ignorance about Koala’s, the “drop bear” yarns are still greatly amusing if told the right way…such as the aboriginal dream time myth of the boy who stole water from the tribe and so was turned into a Koala by the magic-man, but the boy had a great thirst that the gum leaves couldn’t satisfy, so not having access to the water guarded by the tribe, he developed a taste for blood. His prodigy is said to still linger in the bush and need their great thirst quenched.Trivia: Did you know “Koala” is just one of the many aboriginal names given to the creature. It means “no water”, because Koalas are rarely seen drinking from streams, lagoons or other water sources.
What reasons led to the origin of the drop bear in Australian folklore?
While it is now just a prank we pull on tourists the origin of the myth of creatures who look like koalas that drop from trees on people’s heads and start clawing their faces off is thought to be … koalas dropping from trees on people’s heads and clawing at people’s faces. It seems that sometimes the dozy bu**ers get so stoned on eucalyptus that they literally forget to hold onto the gum trees when they fall asleep and drop off the branch. This generally wakes them up and they climb back into the tree, but if they drop on a person they panic and start clawing at the person as they try to get back into their tree and their claws are plenty sharp enough to give you some good scratches.So the idea is that some poor convict or settler was walking under a tree when some stoned koala dropped on his head, panicked and clawed up his face leading to the idea that it was some sort of predatory marsupial that only *looked* like a koala, which isn’t that far fetched when you think about all the weird fauna this country actually has.At least that’s what I heard.
Why do people think drop bears exist in Australia when they don't?
Don’t be a shit bloke mayte, we’re just ‘avin a laugh.No one really believes us, but it’s always fun to do the drop bear joke.Like when you walk in on someone you’ve never met, talking to a tourist about drop bears, and they go “Just ask this guy.” They say, “What’s the most dangerous animal in Australia?” And you go “Oh well definitely the crocs. You really have to watch out for them especially in NT. Don’t worry about sharks, shark attacks are really rare. And if you’re hiking in the Eastern States you need to watch out for drop bears. Attacks are rare but very deadly.”It’s a national joke that lots of us are in on, just some fun.
Is it true that in Australia people walk upside down, on their heads?
Absolutely! *sigh*
How do Australians protect themselves against the seemingly endless supply of spiders that has gripped the nation?
Personally I live in a mesh Tent and carry it with me everywhere…
Are drop bears dangerous?
See the museum link. Drop BearA handy thing is if you keep away from the base of gum trees you keep away from the big branches that can fall at unpredictable times. Another win!!