Something a bit more cuddly than bloody great chunks of rubber filled with helium*. No. Koalas.

Pretty iconic, koalas. Just about everybody can recognise a koala. And at Longleat Safari Park in the UK, there's been the first ever birth of a Southern koala outside of Australia.

The new joey (I didn't know the young are called 'joeys', jut like kangaroo offspring) has made its public debut. I say its because as yet the sex hasn't been determined. It's pretty cute though, if a bit reclusive. It tends to keep its head down in mum Violet's pouch. I'd forgotten koalas are marsupials. Memo to self. Keep up, eh?

Being a marsupial brings Violet some technical issues. Like all babies, joeys crap. In a pouch on your abdomen. 'Mum, the pouch is full of shit again.' 'Oh bugger.' Job for heroes, that one.

On that topic, the first solid food the joey has eaten are in fact Violet's turds, or paps as they're called. I'd stick to milk if I were a joey, I reckon.

Interesting factoid. Koalas are the closest living relatives to wombats. I'm a fan of wombats too, as it happens.

Another factoid. Koalas, Northern and Southern (who knew there were two different species of koala?) are slackers. They can sleep for 20 hours a day. I'm deeply envious. Sometimes I'm lucky to get 20 hours in five days.

*That's a clever idea, isn't it? Reduces the effective laden weight

 This free site is ad-supported. Learn more
​