Duisburg (dpa / lnw) - animal keeper Mario Chindemi filmed the birth of a koala baby nine months ago in Duisburg Zoo - now the still nameless young animal has left the protective pouch of Koala Mama Eora. The gray ball of fur with the big beady eyes is already exploring the area on its own and presenting itself to visitors, the zoo announced on Friday. "The young lady is growing, is lively and is already nibbling on the eucalyptus," said Chindemi, who still remembers the birth of the little one well.
"Pink, completely hairless and no bigger than a gummy bear" was the koala offspring when it saw the light of day after just 32 days of gestation. "That was a very moving moment for me," said the district manager. Eora made unusual noises - and when Chindemi arrived, he immediately pulled out his cell phone to record the birth. In the meantime, the tiny creature has become a fluffy koala child, who will soon have a playmate. Because koala lady Yiribana also has a baby in her pouch. The little male ventures out more and more often and climbs on mum's back.
According to its own statements, the Duisburg Zoo is considered a competence center for koala keeping throughout Europe because of its breeding success. Names for the two youngest members of the koala family will soon be found, which, following the Duisburg tradition, will be derived from the language of the Australian natives. Every Wednesday and Sunday, from 11:00 a.m., visitors to the zoo can see the koalas being weighed in public. Then they will also learn everything worth knowing about the care and keeping of the marsupials and their peculiarities.
Koalas are on the so-called Red List of endangered species. Habitat loss and adoring wildfires are plaguing the population in Australia, it said. From Duisburg, Kerstin Ternes coordinates the Europe-wide breeding of the animals as part of the European Ex Situ Program (EEP). "It's kind of a dating site for zoo animals and it's there to find genetically suitable partners and bring them together," Ternes explained.
