In true-blue Aussie fashion, one of The Australian Reptile Park’s kangaroo joeys was caught on camera taking her first ever hops – just in time for Australia Day! The bouncing bundle of joy was eager to get out of the pouch for the FIRST time ever and had a ripper of a time jumping about greeting visitors!
With Australia Day only a day away, it seemed to be the perfect timing for the cute little joey to emerge from Mum’s pouch and introduce herself to visitors and keepers for the first time. With the first hops being so close to Australia Day, keepers could not resist calling the joey after an Australian icon – Tim Tam. The big step is no easy feat for a new joey, but the hard part is over now. Tim Tam simply gets to enjoy her life hopping around now!
Although small, the joey has already stolen the hearts of visitors and keepers, seemingly wobbly on her tiny little feet and learning to explore the Australian Reptile Park. For now, the joey still sticks closely by Mums side but will presumably begin to adventure further away as she gets confident.
The Australian Reptile Park’s General Manager Tim Faulkner says “I love when we start to see Kangaroo joeys begin to pop out of the pouch, and we’ve seen a few others popping their heads out of pouches over the past few weeks! It’s always so exciting when they take the great big leap from Mums pouch, and what a time to do it – just in time for Australia Day!”
The joey is a part of The Australian Reptile Park’s kangaroo mob which visitors to the Park are able to interact with and hand-feed. This hands-on experience with an Aussie icon is often a highlight for guests. The joey will now be out and about and welcoming for visitors to pat, feed or even take a selfie with!