If you’re having a bad day, you’re in the right place. In the breaking news that we all need to hear, a baby southern hairy-nosed wombat joey has finally emerged from his mum’s pouch at Taronga Zoo, and frankly, the cuteness is off the bloody charts.
Named Wadu, which means ‘wombat’ in the Wirangu language of South Australia, this almost unbearably cute joey is estimated to be about nine months old and is one of the only two male wombats that have been born at Taronga as part of the zoo's southern hairy-nosed wombat breeding program, making this little one’s birth incredibly special.
When wombats are born they are the size of a jellybean, and they develop in their mother’s pouches for around seven to nine months before they emerge and start to explore the world. This is the very first time that anyone has been able to see Wadu since his birth late last year.
Despite his very fresh entrance to the world, Wadu is growing more active and curious by the day. Be sure to pay the Backyard to Bush exhibit a proper visit, where you’ll get a priceless look in at Wadu and his mum, Jedda – along with the two brand-new baby red kangaroos and five baby goats that have also just made their world debut at Taronga’s Backyard to Bush.
Baby wombats make everything better.