In an adorable turn of events, a pair of kangaroo joeys at the Australian Reptile Park have become best friends! Although the two have had very different starts to life, the jumping joeys named Frankie and Tim Tam have become fast friends and are inseparable!
Frankie the kangaroo joey has been made headlines recently as all of the world fell in love with her and her story of recovery. It all started when keepers had an emergency intervention to care for her and ensure her survival after she developed various skin conditions. She has since made a full recovery and keepers have begun reintroducing her to the free-roaming kangaroo family at the Australian Reptile Park, where another joey, Tim Tam has also been growing up.
It was only a matter of time before the two kangaroos to become acquainted with one another, now inseparable. Frankie is a few months older than Tim Tam but the two have been spotted bouncing around together, having the occasional friendly spar with one another as well as sharing some delicious lunch together.
Frankie goes down into the Main Park Area for a few hours at a time under keeper supervision to ensure she is being welcomed with open arms by the other kangaroos that call the Australian Reptile Park home. Thankfully, with the help of Tim Tam showing Frankie the ropes, Frankie has joined in with her family perfectly.
Head of Mammals Dean Reid said of the friendship, “Honestly there is always a bit of anxiety when reintroducing a kangaroo joey back into the ‘mob’. You never know if they’re all suddenly going to fight or cause issues. But thankfully, this couldn’t have gone better. Frankie looks forward to being in the Main Park Area each day, spending time with Tim Tam and meeting guests.”
Dean continued, “Frankie has been through everything you can imagine, and it makes us all get a bit teary to see her just like all the other kangaroos again, from having skin issues, to suckling on her own feet so much that the only way to stop it was to put special socks on them - it’s been a rollercoaster! We couldn’t be happier to see Frankie bouncing around the Main Park Area alongside Tim Tam, and look forward to seeing their friendship continue to blossom!”
Visitors throughout the school holidays will be able to see Frankie every day bouncing around the main park area for interactions and playtime with Tim Tam.
