Baby wallaby pops its head out of its mother's pouch and says hello to grandad
WATCH: the moment a baby joey pops its head out of its mother's pouch
A baby wallaby has shown its face for the first time, about four months after being born on an Isle of Wight farm.
The joey, whose gender is currently unknown, popped its head out of the pouch of its mother Hermione, one of the resident Bennett’s wallabies at Tapnell Farm Park.
It is the first to be born on the farm for four years.
At this stage, joeys just pop their heads out because they are not yet ready to leave the pouch.
Lucy Cousins, head keeper at Tapnell Farm Park, said: “The keepers and I are super-excited to announce the first joey in four years at Tapnell Farm Park.
"This has brought us a lot of joy after a trying year or two; it’s lovely to have something more positive to focus on. "Being animal keepers, we become very attached to our animals, as if they are family. We cannot wait to find out the gender and give little joey a special name this summer – or maybe the public could help us?”
A competition to name little joey will be posted on Facebook nearer the summer.
During the first four months, the little joey was tucked up in Hermione’s pouch attached to a teat, which acts as an umbilical cord.
At about nine to ten months of age, joey will fully leave the pouch. However, it will still be able to stick its head inside to drink milk until it's about two years old.
Hermione’s dad, Deuce, proud grandad to little joey, is one of the wallabies that was rehomed by Tapnell Farm Park when Seaview Wildlife Park closed.
Hermione was born in the Farm Park and Darwin, little joey’s dad, joined the mob in April 2021 from the Peak District.
There are eight adult wallabies at Tapnell Farm Park, plus the new little joey – and another joey in Coco the wallaby’s pouch.
Meet Newt- the abandoned baby wallaby being reared in a rucksack