Australia Zoo has announced the first joey of the season has emerged from her mum’s pouch.
Queenie, an adult koala at Australia Zoo, is the proud mother of a female joey who is slowly settling into her new surroundings.
Queenie’s joey is one of eight young koalas to recently join the Australia Zoo family, with the tiny joeys now beginning to peek out from their mothers’ pouches.
Joeys are born the size of a jellybean and grow inside a mother’s pouch for around six months before beginning to peek out. The joey then spends another four to six months clinging to its mum’s belly or back before becoming more independent.
Australia Zoo has a breeding program that it says helps create an insurance population for the endangered species.
Wildlife conservationist Terri Irwin said, “Koalas were classed as an endangered species in 2022, and face many threats in the wild, including habitat loss, vehicle collisions, domestic pet attacks, and disease.
“Our team’s efforts to build a healthy population of koalas at Australia Zoo are critical to ensuring this iconic species survives for generations to come.”
Additionally, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, a state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility and Wildlife Warriors’ flagship project, plays a vital role in treating sick, injured and orphaned wild koalas, giving them a second chance at life.
Koalas have a highly specialised diet, feeding on eucalyptus leaves, with individuals preferring different species. To support their needs, Australia Zoo maintains thriving eucalyptus plantations to sustainably supply fresh leaf to both its koalas and wild koalas recovering at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.
More than 16,500 trees have recently been planted and are being carefully nurtured to ensure a long-term sustainable food supply.
“Conservation is at the heart of everything we do here at Australia Zoo. We are delighted to share these beautiful animals with our visitors and hope that they will be inspired to support our mission to protect them for future generations,” said Terri.
