Jon Ovens, the lead keeper at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire,devised a creative way of weighing a baby koala as it clings to the back to a soft toy of its substitute mother, who normally lives in the gift shop.
The seven-month-old unnamed joey is the first ever southern koala to have been born in Europe.
She now survives solely on eucalyptus leaves and her weight is a key indicator of her health, keeper Jon Ovens said. The koala’s mother Violet gave birth at the Wiltshire safari park last year.
Koalas give birth after around a month-long pregnancy. Joeys are born blind, hairless and about the same size as a jellybean. Within minutes the baby must find its way into its mother’s pouch where it continues to grow and develop. It will occasionally leave the pouch and explore but will remain largely dependent on its mother until it is up to a year old.
Such a heartwarming news these days.
Source: ZACHARY CULPIN/BOURNEMOUTH NEWS
Update: Aggie Reiter
Rolling in Budapest 