Baby Koala Debuts at LA Zoo

A baby koala made her official debut at the Los Angeles Zoo on Friday morning.

Kirrhi, who was born April 3, spent six months developing in the mother's pouch, before emerging at Los Angeles Zoo.

She's now ready to explore her surroundings, Dunn said.

"She's exploring the exhibit. She's out and about, eating eucalyptus on her own," Dunn said.

The koala faced extinction in the late 1920s until Australia banned the killing of the docile marsupial, according to LAZoo.org.

Koalas breed during Australia's spring and summer seasons. They have a gestation period of 35 days, according to LAZoo.org.

"At seven months, the joey is slowly weaned from milk to eucalyptus by feeding on partially digested leaves in the form of pap as they leave the mother’s pouch. By the time the joey is a year old, it leaves the safety of its mother’s pouch and will reach sexual maturity by the age of two, with a typical lifespan of up to 20 years," according to LAZoo.org.

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