Australia

3 Wallaby Joeys Make Darling Debut at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Three female joeys are captivating guests at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Three red-necked wallaby joeys are making their darling debut at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park this week.

Weighing less than three pounds, the furry babies are only 5 to 6 months old so they’re being hand-raised until they are ready to join the mob of wallabies living at the theme park.

“Sometimes they poke their little heads out of their pouch and look around and kind of observe the world and they kind of touch noses and play together,” said Senior Mammal Keeper Kimberly Millspaugh.

However, the joeys’ favorite thing to do right now is sleep in their pouches. And who could blame them?

Their feeding consists of a special formula made just for marsupials. Bottle time is three to five times a day. They also get a solid food pellet and a little bit of hay, Millspaugh said.

When they are fully grown, these joeys will weigh between 26 and 35 pounds and will reach 3 feet from head to tail.

For now, guests to the theme park can see the joeys daily at the Animal Care Center at Nairobi Station, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

They will be part of a future exhibit called Walkabout Australia.

Wallabies are listed as an animal of Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, according to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. 

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