A 7-month-old Parma wallaby joey climbed out of its mother’s pouch a couple of days ago and is exploring its habitat at the San Diego Zoo.
Animal care staff watched the youngster hop around the enclosure this morning, often moving away from its mother and traveling around on its own. The baby — born in March — spent more than half a year in the pouch.
The sex of the first joey born to 4-year-old Tinka is still unknown. Animal care staff said they’ll await its first birthday to determine whether it’s male or female.
Keepers said Tinka, a wallaby that was hand-raised at the zoo, has been a great mom, always making sure her pouch is clean and staying close to her offspring in case it gets hungry.
Parma wallabies are marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, found in wet forests with dense undergrowth, near grassy areas. They’re often mistaken as smaller versions of their close relative, kangaroos.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Parma wallaby as a “near threatened” species, with less than 10,000 mature individuals existing worldwide. The species faces a number of environmental threats, including wild dogs, foxes and feral cats, which are its top predators, as well as human development that has contributed to habitat loss.
— City News Service
