Kangaroo babies in Vienna zoo
The pair of rare Parma kangaroos are making their first jumps around to discover their new home but it doesn’t take long until they jump back into the safety of thier mothers pouch if scared.
The babies, known as joeys, were born in December but spent the first six months of their lives in their mother’s pouch.
"After only carrying the babies for five weeks the kangaroos are born at a very early stage of development. During the first few hours of their lives they crawl into the mother’s pouch where they are fed by the mother. In the pouch they then develop further and grow until they are ready to jump from the pouch. Said Dagmar Schratter, Director of Vienna Zoo.
Parma kangaroos are some of the smallest kangaroos, therefore they are often referred to as Parma Wallabys. They grow to around 40-50 cm and weigh between three and six kilos.
The Parma kangaroos were thought to be extinct until they were rediscovered on an island near New Zeeland in the 1960’s. They are now often part of zoo breading projects.