A panda...no, a polar bear...no, a Koala!

Playschool this afternoon was disrupted by some barking form Shadow and Cocoa, and James running in to tell me, "There's a panda...no, a polar bear...no, a koala out there!"

As much as I'd love a panda in my garden, I was pretty sure neither of Adelaide Zoo's two most famous residents had escaped!

We found this little fella (I couldn't see any sign of a pouch) right inside our patio.

He investigated the furniture, spa (covered), bbq and us, before ambling down the garden, exploring as he went.

I quickly removed the two dogs, who were clearly making him a bit uneasy, and he seemed quite unperturbed by our presence - and it was impossible to keep James and Eleanor quiet and moving slowly!

He sat for a while at the bottom of the garden...

...then departed over the fence to visit the neighbours

I know a lot of non-Australians think koalas are just cute and cuddly - but have a close look at his claws - well over an inch long!

Although I'd say he was an average size, they're solid and look quite powerful, and he'd easily weigh more than Eleanor.