Error in Straitstimes article: PM Lee Hsien Loong and other G-20 Summit leaders pose with koala bear named Jinbelung

I was reading the Straitstimes during lunch today when I found a common error in one of the headlines:

PM Lee Hsien Loong and other G-20 Summit leaders pose with koala bear named Jinbelung 

Article here. 

Before I reveal the error, have you spotted it too?

Image credit: PM Lee's facebook

Well, it is the word "bear" after koala. 

Strictly speaking, a koala is NOT a bear. It is closer to the wombat family than to the bear.

According to Wikipedia, koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae, and its closest living relatives are the wombats.

I have been to Australia and the locals are pretty protective of their native species, and they kept educating tourists that a koala is NOT a bear. They also emphasised the fact that the koala is native to Australia.

Now, Ms Chew Hui Min (writer of the article), better correct your error before the Australians are offended!

PS. PM Lee got it right in his facebook post by using "koalas" instead of "koala bears".



Tags: Singapore, Straitstimes, G-20 summit, Australia, koala bear