An infant koala bear which has spent its first six months in its mother’s pouch has made a first public appearance at Edinburgh Zoo.
It is the first koala joey to be born in the UK, and represents a significant achievement for the zoo.
The joey has not yet been named, as zoo staff have still to ascertain if it is male or female, but is now fully developed and has almost all its fur. Born in May to Alinga, it had gradually begun to emerge from her pouch at night-time, with keepers being able to see the activity on CCTV.
During the day, with eagerly anticipating visitors looking on, it had begun to poke a nose out, or an arm, causing much excitement.
It became more active until last week, when they were delighted to see the young koala climb onto mum’s back.
Team leader at the zoo, Lorna Hughes, said: “A lot of people expected the joey to just suddenly appear one day, but the process has been more gradual.
“Over the past few weeks, patient visitors have spotted a nose or a pink arm poking out.
“Now they are more likely to see its whole head or, if they are very lucky, the whole thing.
“At around 3pm on Sunday the joey emerged completely from Alinga’s pouch – this was the first time it had done that during daylight hours.”
Within the next few weeks, the team will be able to weigh and sex the new arrival, but they are happy with its progress so far.
Two-year-old Alinga is the first female koala to arrive at the zoo and successfully fell pregnant during her first introduction to male Goonaroo.
Prior to Alinga’s arrival in February, the zoo has been home to young males that would be transferred to other zoos once they reached maturity.
Proud mum Alinga will soon start to carry the joey on her back until it is around one year old.