ZooBorns

Raising a Little Wallaby

Meet the Cincinnati Zoo's newest little Parma Wallaby joey. This species of wallaby is the smallest in the genus Macropus, which includes all kangaroos, wallaroos and some wallabies. Extremely shy in the wild, Parma Wallabies were thought to be extinct until the mid 1960s, when a small hidden population was discovered in the swampy forests of Kawau Island off the coast of New Zealand.

Living in the nursery for now, this baby wallaby will eventually become an outreach animal at the zoo.

A Good Little Fellow...

Meet the Melbourne Zoo's newest Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo joey. While the baby is actually six months old, the little marsupial is just now starting to poke its head out of mom's pouch so these are some of the first glimpses for keepers and the public! Believe it or not, people actually hunt this rare kangaroo for food in its native home of Indonesia. Combined with habitat destruction, the animal's status is soon to be downgraded from endangered to critically endangered by the IUCN. These outstanding photos were taken by photographer Angelica Jellibat.

More photos and info below the fold...

Endangered Tree Kangaroo Emerges from Her Pouch

Meet the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's newest and cutest little Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo joey. Unlike their Australian ground dwelling cousins, Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroos live in New Guinea and spend most of their lives high in the trees. They have an amazing ability to jump from trees, having been observed leaping down to the ground from 30 feet or more on a whim. Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroos are endangered due to poaching and habitat destruction.

Photo and video credits: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Wallaby Joey Jolene Celebrates Her First Christmas

Australia's Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Frank Sartor announced Wednesday that the festive spirit would be spread to Taronga Zoo when animals receive special Christmas treats. “Each day Taronga’s Keepers change the way food is presented to the animals to stimulate and encourage them to forage, but today will have a Christmas twist,” Mr Sartor said. Today, 10 month old Wallaby Jolene enjoys her very first Christmas.

  Photos Courtesy of Lorinda Taylor/Taronga Zoo

Dancer and Prancer Hop into the Belfast Zoo

The Belfast Zoo's resident male Red Kangaroo is named Randalph, which zoo staff decided was close enough to "Rudolph" to name his newest joeys Dancer and Prancer. The largest marsupial in the world, Red Kangaroo's reach up to 190 lbs (85 kg) and almost 5 feet long from head to tail but at birth they weigh only .02 ounces (75 grams) and spend their first 150 days in mom's pouch!

 

 

Family portrait

Meet Willa the Swamp Wallaby Joey

Willa is a 7 month old Swamp Wallaby who just arrived at Australia's Taronga Zoo. Up until now, Willa has been cared for by Skye Adams of the Sydney RSPCA. Her life is now beginning at the zoo and when she is big enough she will be introduced to the other wallabies in theAustralian Walk Through exhibit.

Red Necked Wallaby Joey

A timid red necked wallaby joey peeks out from the safety of Mom's pouch today at the Taronga Zoo in Australia. Being one of the largest Wallabies, it is easily confused for a kangaroo.  Its distinguishing features include black paws and a white strip over it's upper lip.

Here's one of Mom caught in the rain

Photos courtesy: urbanmenagerie

Manitoba Kangaroo Baby Is out of Her Pouch

Earlier this month, at the Assiniboine Park Zoo this tiny red kangaroo was accidentally ejected from her Mom's pouch. Caregivers at the Zoo have fashioned a fleece "pouch" and are administering a solution which mimics Mom's milk. It was impossible to determine which of the female's had lost her joey, without causing stress to the animals. With the help of the Zoo's staff, this baby Kangaroo will bounce back!

Bronx Zoo Tree Kangaroo Still Needs Mom

Cuter than ever, the pink bundle of "Joey" we brought you in late December is almost all grown up now, although Mom's pouch is never far afield. 

The Bronx Zoo's Tree Kangaroo Joey can be seen exploring his exhibit on his own, as well as darting back to Mom's pouch for a snooze. This exhibit is one of the highlights at the Zoo's "Jungleword" attraction which offers year round access to tropical creatures including otters, gibbons, and a tapir.

Photo credit: Julie Larsen Maher © WCS

Wallaby Joeys at the Kangaroo Conservation Center

Meet the Kangaroo Conservation Center's most recent arrivals: Soleil, Oliver and an as of yet to be named little joey born to mama Bindi. These are Agile Wallabies, Northern Australian and Indonesian marsupials related to their better known cousins, red and grey kangaroos. All three of these babies were born in the summer of 2008, but have been hidden in pouches for most of that time. For the incubator babies, a cloth pouch was provided.

Soleil and Oliver have a close bond

A warm home

What do you think this baby Joey's name should be?

Agile Wallabies are rarely exhibited in the States and the Kangaroo Conservation Center has the largest collection.