Welcome to our newest arrival - a Koala Joey!

We are delighted to announce the debut of our newest arrival, a male koala joey who emerged from his mother’s pouch for the first time in July.

The koala joey was welcomed into the world in October last year and is the son of Bruce and Kyara, and the sibling of Kikki who was born in the last breeding season.

“Our new furry friend is only eight months old and has now fully emerged out of his mother’s pouch which makes him quite advanced for his age,” says Caroline Munro, Senior Keeper at Wild Life Sydney Zoo. “He is also experimenting with eating eucalyptus leaves, though will continue to stay with mum and supplement his diet with her milk until he is 12 months old.

“Usually our koala joeys stay snuggled up with mum, getting their much-needed 20+ hours of sleep a day, but this little guy appears to be more interested in making friends, and can be found holding tight onto mum to catch a better glimpse of his visitors throughout the day.”

The arrival of the new koala joey marks another successful year of koala breeding for WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, and will help to further educate the public on the need to protect the Australian-native species which is currently listed as vulnerable in the wild.

 

Naming Buddy

To celebrate the new arrival with all of Australia, WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo asked the public for the perfect name that encapsulates the newest arrival’s eager and bubbly personality. There was only one condition – in line with the attraction’s naming traditions, his name had to start with the letter ‘B’ after his father!

The decision for the WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo team was not easy, receiving 150 entries and so many great options for our very cute koala joey. While ‘Bernard’ was the most reoccurring entry, the team could not ignore ‘Buddy’, submitted by Sydney-sider Jo White. It was a perfect fit for the friendly new bub!

 

 

But Wait, There’s More!

In early January we welcomed our second koala joey, Scarlet. When Scarlet was born she was the size of a jellybean and weighed less than one gram! Being so small, she wasn't quite ready to take on the big outside world, so she stayed inside her mother Sammy's pouch until she popped up in early August to say hi. 

You can follow Scarlet's adventures through The Joey Diaries

 

These koala joeys won’t stay babies for long, so come and visit them today before they grow up!

 

Want to learn more about these iconic Australian animals? Here are our 5 fun facts about koalas