THE UK’s only koala joey has been given its first health check – confirming the youngster is a girl. Born last July to mother Alinga and father Tanami, the joey resides at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo.
The health check found she weighs 759g and is almost too big to fit in her mother’s pouch – but had to be weighed while holding on to a soft toy.
Keepers are now thinking of an Aboriginal-inspired name for the joey with her sister Kalari – “daughter” – who was born in 2018. Her name will be announced in the next few weeks and she will soon begin being carried around on her mother Alinga’s back.
The zoo is home to the UK’s only Queensland koalas. Staff raised £1790 in a January fundraiser for Science for Wildlife following the Australian wildfires.
Lorna Hughes, team leader for koalas at the zoo, said: “We are thrilled our youngster is doing well after her first health check. Like all young koala joeys, she spends most of her time clinging to her mum, so we gave her a soft toy to hold on to while she was being weighed.”
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