Animal Diaries Archive

Are there any joeys?

27 June 2008

"Are there any joeys?"  That is the question I have been asked every day for the last twelve months. Unfortunately, I have had to answer no.  Until recently, that is!

Over the past number of weeks we have been observing some of our girls as we have noticed their pouches swelling and some signs of new lives beginning to make themselves known.

I have only been at the Zoo for a little over a year, so I am very excited to be able to watch as the seasons roll by and the animals subtly change their behaviours as the months progress.

When the kangaroos were breeding, it has been amazing to watch how affectionate and romantic the boys can be when trying to impress one of the girls. They show off, play with the girl’s ears and tail and chatter to her in their own love-struck way. And if all goes well, a few months down the track, we get to where we are now – knowing we have joeys, but waiting anxiously for our first glimpse of them. And that happened just the other day!

Elissa, one of our Eastern Grey Kangaroos, was enjoying her afternoon sunbake, when a family visiting the zoo noticed some claws poking out of her pouch. They snapped a couple of quick photos and are the first people to have seen any of our babies. I was so excited and just a little jealous, but a couple of days later I caught my first sight too, as the little one was wriggling around inside trying to get comfortable; one of its hind legs briefly poked out and vanished again.

It’s will be a while before we really get to see any of our new joeys properly. At the moment we think they’re between three and four months old, which means they still have no fur. But it is exciting to wait and watch, hoping to be the first to see a new little face (or foot, or tail).

In a few months time, they should start wanting more to do with the outside world; I will endeavour to keep you updated with their news, as they discover that life at the Zoo is one big adventure.
Until then, keep your eyes open when you visit our roos; you never know what you might see!