Australian Reptile Park announces name for beloved new koala joey

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The Australian Reptile Park in Somersby, New South Wales, captured footage of their newest koala joey on Sunday, January 6, one day before announcing he would be named Gumnut.

The adorable little animal garnered worldwide attention after the park opened a naming competition for him on New Year’s Eve.

“The Australian Reptile Park is tremendously thankful for all of the wonderful entries people sent in, and how they have embraced little Gumnut” said general manager Tim Faulkner. “Raising awareness for koalas is so imperative to us as their numbers are drastically declining. Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate on the planet and we need to do what we can to change this.”

A media release from the park issued on January 7 said Gumnut was being raised by its staff after his mother was unable to provide him with milk and nutrition.