Asia-Pacific News
Australians entranced by rejected baby koala
Jul 3, 2009, 7:18 GMT
Sydney - A koala rejected by her mother because twins are unusual in Australia's most famous marsupial is flourishing at a Melbourne wildlife sanctuary, news reports said Friday.
Kailla is only the fourth koala known to have been abandoned because a koala's pouch has room for just one offspring.
Keepers at Wildlife Wonderland Park told the Sun Herald newspaper they were initially unaware one of their koalas had had twins. The discovery was made a week ago when Kailla fell out of mum Bussy's pouch.
Keeper Darren Tilley was alarmed to see Bussy had had twins. It was impossible to reunite Kailla with her mother because, with one baby in her pouch, Bussy didn't realize Kailla was also her baby.
'Unfortunately we're having to hand-rear Kailla because there's not enough room for her in the pouch,' Tilley said. 'The pouch is not designed to carry two babies, and the animals are not accustomed to multiple babies.'
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