A baby koala has made is way out of its mother's pouch today at the Los Angeles Zoo. Coincidentally, today also happens to be 'Wild Koala Day' which is celebrated in Australia.
The unnamed koala was born to first time parents, three-year-old Maya and nine-year-old Burra.
Zoo visitors can visit the baby at the Zoo’s Australia habitat, where officials say he is beginning to explore his surroundings, resting on his mother’s lap or back, and casually nibbling on eucalyptus leaves.
“The L.A. Zoo has a long history with koalas, and a new generation of Angelenos will have the unique opportunity to see this joey grow up,” said Beth Schaefer, director of animal programs, Los Angeles Zoo. “I am also delighted for guests to come to the zoo today on Wild Koala Day, and beyond, to learn more about this species and the threats to their survival in the wild.”
Zoo officials say guests are invited to visit L.A. Zoo’s Australia habitat to “catch a glimpse of the growing joey as he bonds with Maya and becomes more adventurous, weather permitting.”
The koala is often referred to as a “koala bear,” but they are really marsupials like kangaroos, opossums and wombats. They give birth to premature babies called joeys, the size of a jellybean. The joey is hairless and blind but uses its front paws to climb up to its mother’s fur and into her pouch where it nurses and develops for six months before emerging.
Source: Daily Breeze