By Jed Lanyon
Healesville Sanctuary has welcomed a tiny fuzzy-eared koala joey, just in time for spring and the keepers have tasked Star Mail readers to decide on a name for the baby.
The unnamed joey has just started peeking out of mum’s pouch to take a look around its home at Healesville Sanctuary.
At six months old, the joey is still too young for keepers to determine its sex. But the baby now needs a name, which is where Star Mail readers come in.
Sanctuary keepers have consulted with Wurundjeri elder Murrindindi to come up with a shortlist of three names from the Woiwurrung language:
Wurun, meaning ‘manna gum’ – Manna gum is one of the favoured species of eucalyptus that koalas found in Victoria eat.
Wirra, meaning ‘climb’ – This reflects the incredible climbing abilities koalas have. In the coming weeks, the joey will start emerging fully from its mum’s pouch and learn to climb – first by clinging to her back, and then exploring on its own.
Bardup, meaning ‘joy’ – This reflects the joy this joey has brought, especially given the circumstances we have all found ourselves in this year.
Visit the Star Mail Facebook page to cast a vote for your favourite name over the weekend, and watch out for an update in Tuesday’s Star Mail edition to see which name has won.
While Healesville Sanctuary is temporarily closed to members and visitors, animal lovers can stay connected with the Zoo’s animals through the Zoos Victoria live stream cameras at www.zoo.org.au/animals-at-home
