Baby koala finds COMFORT in STUFFED TOYS after his mom...
Mar 5, 2020 20:43:55 GMT
CrepedCrusader likes this
Post by RiP, IMDb on Mar 5, 2020 20:43:55 GMT
DIES of cancer!!
They’ve got this baby boy’s back.
A male koala’s mom died of cancer in mid-December while he was still in her pouch. Now, vets and wildlife care specialists at the San Diego Zoo are providing round-the-clock feeding and nurturing to save the orphan’s life.
“When his mother died, this little joey was too small to come out of the pouch and live on his own,” Becky Kier, lead neonatal assisted care specialist, said in a statement. “We weren’t convinced he would last the first week — but with intensive care, he is showing us he is a fighter.”
Adorable new footage released Wednesday by the facility showcases the fuzzy critter finding comfort in stuffed toys — and cuddling his new human caretakers.
Newborn koalas — called “joeys” — are typically about the size of a jelly bean, according to National Geographic. Born without ears, hair or sight, the baby instinctively uses its strong legs and hands to crawl from the birth canal into its mother’s pouch. Once there, the joey attaches to a nipple and drinks milk. The joey grows slowly, and at around 5 or 6 months old, begins to poke its head outside the pouch.
It was at that age when this joey lost his mom.
The little marsupial is now living part-time in a faux pouch inside an incubator, with the temperature and humidity set to simulate his mother, and fed a special milk replacement six times a day.
“While he has a long way to go, our team is doing everything we can for him,” Kier said, wiping a dribble of milk replacement from his chin. “And each day, we are more and more optimistic about his chance of survival.”
A male koala’s mom died of cancer in mid-December while he was still in her pouch. Now, vets and wildlife care specialists at the San Diego Zoo are providing round-the-clock feeding and nurturing to save the orphan’s life.
“When his mother died, this little joey was too small to come out of the pouch and live on his own,” Becky Kier, lead neonatal assisted care specialist, said in a statement. “We weren’t convinced he would last the first week — but with intensive care, he is showing us he is a fighter.”
Adorable new footage released Wednesday by the facility showcases the fuzzy critter finding comfort in stuffed toys — and cuddling his new human caretakers.
Newborn koalas — called “joeys” — are typically about the size of a jelly bean, according to National Geographic. Born without ears, hair or sight, the baby instinctively uses its strong legs and hands to crawl from the birth canal into its mother’s pouch. Once there, the joey attaches to a nipple and drinks milk. The joey grows slowly, and at around 5 or 6 months old, begins to poke its head outside the pouch.
It was at that age when this joey lost his mom.
The little marsupial is now living part-time in a faux pouch inside an incubator, with the temperature and humidity set to simulate his mother, and fed a special milk replacement six times a day.
“While he has a long way to go, our team is doing everything we can for him,” Kier said, wiping a dribble of milk replacement from his chin. “And each day, we are more and more optimistic about his chance of survival.”
.