The baby boom at Taronga Western Plains Zoo is continuing, with the latest addition to the zoo’s koala population beginning to emerge from his mother’s pouch.
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The five-month-old male joey, who is yet to be named, is the third offspring for mother Wild Girl.
“We are really happy with how both mother and joey are doing,” keeper Denyell Woodhouse said.
“Wild Girl is an experienced mother and is showing all the right maternal behaviours.”
Wild Girl arrived at the zoo’s Wildlife Hospital after being hit by a car, and couldn’t be released due to her injuries. She joined the zoo’s koala group in early 2013 and has since played an important role in the breeding program.
“This is the first Koala joey to emerge from its mother’s pouch this season, and we are hopeful of having at least one more Koala joey emerge in the coming months,” Ms Woodhouse said.
“At present visitors need to have a keen eye to spot the joey when it is out of the pouch, as it clings to the underside of Wild Girl however, as it grows and the weather warms up, it will start to be more visible and active.”
Koala joeys stay with their mother for up to 12 months, when they start to roam further and further away to explore their surroundings.
The koalas can be seen in the Aussie Walkthrough exhibit, with the daily keeper talk at 2.30pm.