Edinburgh Zoo welcomes two baby koalas, sharing adorable pictures of the pair

Two baby koalas have been born at Edinburgh Zoo.
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Edinburgh Zoo has released adorable pictures to celebrate the arrival of two koala joeys, who were recently born at the wildlife park. The youngsters, who are both female, were born to mums Kalari and Inala. The pair have only recently started to emerge from their mother’s pouches. When they are born, newborn koalas are as small as a jellybean. They stay in the pouch for six months, before they grow big enough to move onto their mum’s back.

Keepers at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) have welcomed the arrival. Lorna Hughes, animal team leader at RZSS, said: “We are delighted both joeys are doing well and we are beginning to see them more and more. They are the only Queensland koalas in the UK which makes every newborn really special.

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“With their species facing many threats in the wild, the two new girls give our charity an incredibly exciting opportunity to engage and inspire even more visitors to help protect, value and love wildlife around the world.”

The baby koalas were born at Edinburgh Zoo to mums Kalari and Inala.The baby koalas were born at Edinburgh Zoo to mums Kalari and Inala.
The baby koalas were born at Edinburgh Zoo to mums Kalari and Inala.

RZSS supporters will get the chance to name the new koalas in the coming weeks.

The happy news comes a year after the zoo lost its much-loved one-eyed koala, Goonaroo, who fathered the UK’s first ever joey in 2013. The 17-year-old, who was suffering from age-related health problems recently, was put to sleep on the advice of veterinary staff.

Koalas are native to eastern Australia and are currently classified as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List.