Victoria zoo saves life of orphaned koala joey

Zoo saves orphaned koala joey

Zoo staff provides around the clock care for orphaned koala joey who only weighed 400 grams when he was brought in.

VICTORIA, Australia - A tiny orphaned koala joey has been saved by veterinary staff at the Werribee Open Range Zoo after its mother was killed in the wild by a dog.

Called Mini, the joey weighed just 400 grams when it was brought to the zoo after it was rescued by a registered wildlife carer.

The zoo said the six-month-old joey’s life was in a “precarious” position as joeys are dependent on the warmth and safety of their mother’s pouch to survive.

Staff provided Mini with “around the clock-the-clock care”, they said, using a woolen pouch and feeding her with a milk supplement.

The zoo said Mini has now been returned to the wildlife carer and will be hand-raised until she grows to three-four kilograms.

Mini will then be released back into the wild near where she was found in southwest Victoria.