After finding herself as a surrogate mother to an adorable little koala joey, the Australian Reptile Park’s own ‘koala whisperer’, Hayley Shute, has been pondering over what to name the new arrival.
After numerous suggestions from her own children who have taken part in hand-raising the joey and the staff at the Park, this tiny koala has been affectionately named Albert after his charmingly elderly appearance.
Under the care of Keeper Shute, Albert is thriving and is hitting all his milestones for a five-month-old joey.
Two weeks on since the urgent rescue to save both Albert and his mother Elsa, this adorable joey has gained over half his body weight, going from 190g to 312g.
“Albert is a little fighter, and it’s been amazing to see him grow and develop under our care,” Shute said.
“He’s a joy to be around, and the team at the Australian Reptile Park are so happy to see him doing so well,” Shute said.
Taking care of Albert involves round-the-clock dedication, including six bottle feeds of special milk formula throughout the day and night.
He has also started consuming koala pap, a crucial step for transitioning from milk to a eucalyptus leaf diet.
“Since Albert has undergone the papping process, we’ve begun giving him a taste of eucalyptus leaves,” Shute said.
“At first, he was quite unsure what to do with the small leaves, but over the past few days, it’s safe to say that he’s loving it.”
Shute is no stranger to becoming a mother to a koala and back in 2019, she rescued Elsa the koala (Albert’s mother) when she was just a joey herself.
Also, with a tough start to life, Elsa came under the care of Shute and was given a second chance at life since her mother, Irene, fell ill.
Four years on, Elsa has grown to have two successful joeys herself – Olaf who was born in last year’s breeding season, and Albert, the newest arrival.
“It melts my heart to see Albert thriving, considering the first time we met he was at risk of not making it,” she said.
“I was definitely worried, but I know he’s a fighter just like his mother.
“I’m happy to report that Elsa is doing well and is on track to make a full recovery.
“In the next six months we will have the pair reunited with each other and the other koalas at the Park.”
As a species in peril, koalas need help now more than ever as they are estimated to become extinct by 2050.
Proud of being an active supporter of wildlife conservation, The Australian Reptile Park continues to breed their koalas in an effort to help boost population numbers for the endangered species and educate Australians about koalas.
Source:
The Australian Reptile Park