Chilled-out koala Dennis is kicking back and letting the stresses of lockdown and social distancing pass him by.

For Dennis, a male southern koala who lives at Longleat near Warminster, taking things easy comes naturally; the iconic Australian marsupials can sleep for up to 22 hours a day.

Social distancing also isn’t much of a stretch for him as koalas spend most of their lives living on their own, only coming together briefly to find a mate.

“Dennis really is a shining example of how to deal with stress. He sits back, takes it all in, and then goes back to sleep,” said keeper James Dennis.

“If the weather’s good, he’ll head outside, find a comfortable tree to sit in and then just lie back and watch the world go by. Otherwise he’ll stay in the heated indoor section, choose his favourite nook, and snooze.

“Occasionally he’ll indulge in a brief session of competitive bellowing against Burke, the other male in the group, and his love rival for the affections of the female koalas, and then it’s usually time for a nap,” he added.

As well as sleeping and bellowing, Dennis’ other main occupation is eating. Koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves and Longleat has planted 4,000 of the trees on the Wiltshire estate to ensure they have a ready supply.

“The eucalyptus is coming into flower and the leaves are particularly fresh at this time of year. We come in daily to cut new branches for Dennis and the other koalas and position them within easy reach.

“It’s been a testing time for all of us and it does seem very strange to not see any visitors at all but we’re doing our best to ensure all the koalas are kept entertained, comfortable and well fed,” said James.

Longleat is home to England’s only group of koalas and the only place in Europe to be looking after southern koalas.

They live in the purpose-built Koala Creek facility which includes a natural stream, eucalyptus trees, climbing poles, naturally-themed indoor and outdoor habitats, viewing areas, interpretation boards as well as a Koala Care unit.

The facility is part of the International Koala Centre of Excellence (IKCE), a ground-breaking joint initiative with the Government of South Australia and Cleland Wildlife Park to support research and raise funds for koala management and conservation.