The gender of the UK’s only koala joey has been revealed by delighted keepers at Edinburgh Zoo.
The youngster was found to be a girl after undergoing her first health check since she was born in July 2019.
The joey, who weighs 759g, was kept company on the scale by a stuffed cuddly toy and looked bemused by the whole event.
Keepers at the zoo will soon choose an Aborginal inspired name for the young joey, as they did with her sister who was born in 208 and named Kalari, meaning ‘daughter’.
Lorna Hughes, team leader for koalas at Edinburgh 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.
“At nearly eight months old, she’s now almost too big to fit inside mum Alinga’s pouch and has started to venture outside and onto Alinga's back more regularly.”
As well as being part of the international breeding programme for Queensland koalas, RZSS supports conservation projects for the species in Australia.
In January keepers at the zoo held a fundraiser for Science for Wildlife who worked to rescue koalas in the Blue Mountains region following wildfires that swept the country earlier this year.
The campaign raised £1,790 and gave those who donated the chance to win one of three original framed paw prints from the zoo’s koalas.
