Pint-sized Potoroo pops out of pouch
Healesville Sanctuary’s newest macropod has made a special appearance these school holidays, hopping out of the pouch for the first time. The joey is approximately five months old and is slowly starting to explore the world as it clumsily finds its feet.
Mammal Keeper Madeleine Jane said keepers noticed a bulging pouch on the female potoroo two months ago, and just recently spotted wriggling and a shiny little nose.
“It is really exciting to have a new joey here at the Sanctuary and it is the first time this potoroo pair has bred together” Ms Jane said.
“The little one is becoming more adventurous by the day, but still relies on mum’s milk for nutrition.
“As the joey grows older it will spend more and more time out of the pouch, which means visitors will have more opportunities to see the quirky joey.”
The sex of the joey remains unknown for now. Keepers will have to wait three months to find out the gender, when the youngster has its first official health check at the Australian Wildlife Health Centre.
Long-nosed Potoroos can be found in forest shrubland in Victoria, along patches of the east coast of Australia, and in Tasmania. While they may look like a large rodent, they are more closely related to a kangaroo. Listed as ‘near threatened’ with a decreasing population by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, this unique native species faces major threats in the wild by predation from non-native species such as cats and foxes.
Visitors can see the Long-nosed Potoroo family within the Animals of the Night Nocturnal House, which is open daily from 10am to 4:30pm. Healesville Sanctuary is open every day from 9am to 5pm.