An adorable, tiny koala joey has made its pouch premiere at Healesville Sanctuary, branching out of mum’s arms for the first time.
Yet to be sexed, the curious joey snuggled into third-time mum Lucy’s fur as it looked out at the world through the leaves of the eucalyptus tree.
Healesville Sanctuary mammal keeper Craig McQueen said it was magical for visitors to see the six-month-old pouch potato emerge after months of anticipation.
“Koala joeys are in and out of the pouch until the age of nine months, so we’ve seen the joey stick its arms and legs out for the past few weeks and now it’s popping its little head out,” Mr McQueen said.
“It’s absolutely adorable and will only get cuter as it becomes fluffier.”
As an experienced mother, Lucy is doing a fantastic job caring for her new joey.
Part of this care involves getting her joey ready to eat eucalyptus leaves through somewhat unorthodox methods.
“Koala joeys begin their lives feeding on their mother’s milk inside the pouch, before transitioning to feeding on something called ‘pap’,” Mr McQueen said.
“Pap is a runny poo that the mother produces which is fill of microorganisms that enables the joey to digest the leaves.”
Koalas are one of Australia’s most iconic animals and can spend up to 20 hours a day sleeping in a tree.
Their diet consists almost entirely of eucalyptus leaves.
Threats to this species include loss of habitat due to agriculture and development, and the disease Chlamydia.
Visitors to Healesville Sancturary can enjoy watching the joey begin to explore and feed as it becomes more confident over the coming months.
