Detroit Zoo: Wallaby Joey Makes Debut At Detroit Zoo

Press release from the Detroit Zoo:

May 5, 2021

ROYAL OAK, Mich., 

A baby wallaby, or joey, is now visible at the Detroit Zoo following its birth this past October. The joey lives in the two-acre Australian Outback Adventure with mother Eloise, two other wallabies and 13 red kangaroos.

“This is Eloise’s first joey. She’s very protective,” said Elizabeth Arbaugh, curator of mammals for the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS).

The red-necked wallaby joey, who isn’t named yet, is the first to be born at the Detroit Zoo since 2010.

After birth, joeys immediately crawl into their mothers’ pouches where they continue to develop—usually for a few months.

This week marks the first time the joey fully came out of Eloise’s pouch.

“Joeys don’t start getting fur until about six months. Now that there is a fine layer of fur, the joey is starting to venture out,” said Arbaugh.

The sex of the joey will be determined when he or she is older and mostly out of the pouch.

Visitors can get face-to-face with the marsupials inside the Australian Outback Adventure, traveling along a winding path while the wallabies and kangaroos are free to bound and graze wherever they please.

This press release was produced by the Detroit Zoo. The views expressed here are the author’s own.