Rare miniature kangaroo born at Chester Zoo

Keepers at Chester Zoo are celebrating the birth of the zoo’s first dusky pademelon – a rare ‘miniature kangaroo’ from Indonesia.

The adorable joey has just started to peek out from the pouch of first-time mum Styx after being born earlier in the spring.

Dusky pademelons, also known as dusky wallabies, are small, hopping marsupials found in forests on the island of New Guinea, as well as some neighbouring islands.

Infants are born 30 days after mating and then continue to grow inside their mother’s pouches until they fully emerge at around seven months.

Dave White, Team Manager of the zoo’s Twilight team, said: “Just like kangaroos and other marsupials, newborn dusky pademelons will climb up to the safety of mum’s pouch to nurse when they are merely the size of jellybeans. It’s in that pouch that they receive all of the nourishment and protection they need as they develop, right up to the moment they are old enough to begin exploring the outside world for themselves.1"

“The joey here – the first to ever be born at the zoo - has just started to peek out from mum Styx’s pouch. She’s a first time mum and it’s really lovely to see her hopping around with her new baby. An adult dusky pademelon’s pouch has a powerful muscle to prevent the joey from falling out, but it won’t be too long until it’s ready to fully emerge and start hopping around on its own two feet. That’s when we’ll discover whether it’s a boy or a girl and choose its name.”