Paris Jackson Cuddles a Koala on Hamilton Island

29th November 2017

Koala

Paris Jackson, the daughter of the ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson has taken time out on Hamilton Island during her visit to Australia. The 19-year-old was a celebrity guest at the 2017 Melbourne Cup where she caused a stir by licking a window in a display for the paparazzi. Although the move drew criticism from the mainstream media, punters and fans seemed unruffled by the performance, with many just happy to grab a selfie with the model, actress and activist.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Ms Jackson is on an environmental crusade and had plans to see the Great Barrier Reef.

"I consider the Great Barrier Reef one of the many very sacred and magical points on earth that very much needs to be protected and it breaks my heart to see the state that it is in right now,” Jackson said.

Following her antics at the famous spring racing carnival, Jackson jumped on a plane to the Whitsundays, to live it up in the tropics at the exclusive Qualia luxury resort on Hamilton Island. Shortly after arriving on Hamilton Island, Ms Jackson posted a photo to Instagram which showed her cuddled up to a koala with the caption ‘grateful’.

The photo opportunity was snapped at the recently reopened WildLife Hamilton Island attraction. The widlife attraction had previously been closed after sustaining serious damage from Cyclone Debbie earlier in the year. The resident koalas Jeddah, Bobby, Tallow and Billy had been relocated to alternative accommodation at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast while the habitat on Hamilton Island was rebuilt. As vegetation on the island began to regenerate, so too did the koala’s main food source, meaning they could return to their home on Hamilton Island. The attraction reopened in September.