Get to Know Izzy Bee & Her Koalas From Netflix’s ‘Izzy’s Koala World’ (VIDEO)
Exclusive
If you’re looking for something fun, educational, and very, very cute this fall, Izzy’s Koala World is right up your alley.
The new series, from The Dodo in partnership with Netflix and premiering Tuesday, September 15, follows 11-year-old Izzy Bee as she and her mother, the only veterinarian on their home of Magnetic Island, care for displaced and injured koalas in Australia.
As you can see in TV Insider’s exclusive trailer below, Izzy rescues and forms bonds with the koalas in her family’s care until they’re ready to be released back into the wild.
Here, Izzy takes us inside her new series and introduces us to the koalas.
Can you preview what viewers will see from this show that makes it both feel good and educational?
Izzy Bee: The program shows what sort of problems koalas face in the wild. The show follows us taking care of orphan joeys, injured koalas and sick koalas. The whole point of what we do is always to release them back to their homes in the wild. When we get to release them it’s sad for us but happy for them. The show tells how important it is to look after our environment, which is the koala’s home.
What have you learned about yourself while taking care of the koalas?
I have learned how much I enjoy working with koalas and how lucky I am to be able to look after them. It is a big responsibility though, so I have to be able to help mum and dad when they ask. So I’ve learnt I have to listen and do what I’ve been asked to do.
What have you learned about each of the five koalas mentioned in the trailer? Anything that surprised you?
Before I worked with koalas I didn’t know that each one has their own personality — that surprised me. Juliette was really shy and her claws were damaged so she couldn’t climb slippery trees easily so we needed to find the best “grippy” tree for her. StormBoy was grumpy with me because I accidentally wet him with the hose but we worked it out eventually and he learnt to trust that I was not going to hurt him and we became good friends.
Mango couldn’t see properly so we had to be really careful to make sure we never scared her. She is dad’s favorite. Muffin was very calm and chilled out and loved her food. She had a big belly from all the leaf she ate. Princess Leia was very outgoing and full of herself — she had to be the center of attention 24/7. But she was the prettiest little koala ever. My favorite.
What makes Leia and the bond between you two so special?
Leia and I had a very special bond because when she was little I was always looking after her. She came into care as a very small joey with big fluffy ears, and I got her to eat by sitting on the couch with her and tempting her. She always gave me the best cuddles.
You mention bringing fresh eucalyptus leaves to the koalas every morning. Is there anything else that’s part of your daily routine with them?
I check them all every morning to make sure all the patients have eaten and are safe. Mum makes me help her clean them out every day.
How do you know when they’re ready to be released into the wild? What do you usually see with all koalas and is there anything you’ve seen that’s unique to an individual one?
They have to get to a certain size before they are ready to release. We see that as they get bigger they don’t want to be with humans anymore. They climb away from us. They all seem to do this and we know they are ready to go home.
(Netflix)
What’s the most challenging part of your work with the koalas?
We’ve always got to remember that koalas are wild animals and don’t know that we are trying to help them. They look cute and calm and sleepy but they can be terrified when a human approaches them. We need to calm them down as quickly as possible. They can be terrifying sometimes — they have very sharp teeth and claws so we always respect a wild koala when we go to rescue them.
Izzy’s Koala World, Series Premiere, Tuesday, September 15, Netflix
