News Release
 
Contact: Sondra Katzen, Public Relations, 708.688.8351, sondra.katzen@czs.org
 
May 3, 2019
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  
Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat Joey Out and About at Brookfield Zoo
 
Photo Captions—credit Kelly Tone/Chicago Zoological Society
4325 and 4363: A southern hairy-nosed wombat joey, born on August 8, 2018, recently emerged from her mom’s pouch and can be seen at Brookfield Zoo’s Australia House.
 
4336 and 4340: A southern hairy-nosed wombat joey with her mom, Kambora, can be seen at Brookfield Zoo’s Australia House.

     Brookfield, Ill.—Guests visiting Brookfield Zoo’s Australia House will now be able to see one of the newest additions—a southern hairy-nosed wombat joey. The young marsupial, born on August 8, 2018, to 18-year-old Kambora, is out of her mom’s pouch exploring her surroundings.

Staff first noticed movement in Kambora’s pouch in October 2018 and did not see the joey emerge until mid-March 2019. At birth, a wombat joey is tiny and hairless, and is about the size of a bumblebee. It climbs into its mom’s pouch where it attaches to a teat and remains there for the first few months of life. While in the pouch, the young joey sleeps and nurses, getting all the necessary nutrients it needs to fully develop. Now weighing just over 10 pounds, the joey is very inquisitive and becoming more independent.

The not-yet-named joey is Kambora’s seventh offspring and the second for the sire, 6-year-old Darryl, who arrived at Brookfield Zoo in 2016 from Austrailia. Chicago Zoological Society staff work closely with the other North American zoos that have southern hairy-nosed wombats, along with Zoos South Australia and their government, to form and develop a breeding program to ensure a genetically sustainable population for the species in professional care.
In 1969, Brookfield Zoo received three southern hairy-nosed wombats, and, in 1974, became the first zoo outside of Australia to successfully breed the species in professional care. Since then, there have been 22 wombat births at Brookfield Zoo.

Southern hairy-nosed wombats, whose closest living relative is the koala, are thick, heavy-bodied animals. They are native to central southern Australia, where they live in arid to semiarid savannah woodlands, grasslands, and low shrub plains. They are about the size of a medium-size dog, but are much more rounded and solidly built. The pouch opens to the rear, so that when they are digging, soil does not get into it. Wombats have long claws, a stubby tail, a flattened head that looks too big for their body, and short, powerful legs. They use their long claws when digging warrens—complex, underground tunnel systems—that are the center of wombat life. Each warren consists of several separate burrows. Wombats never wander too far from their warrens. Several wombats may have their warrens near each other, forming a cluster. However, they rarely interact with each other. Currently, the wombat population in Australia is being threatened by habitat loss, drought, and agricultural practices.
 
 
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About the Chicago Zoological Society
The mission of the Chicago Zoological Society is to inspire conservation leadership by engaging people and communities with wildlife and nature. The Chicago Zoological Society is a private nonprofit organization that operates Brookfield Zoo on land owned by the Forest Preserves of Cook County. The Society is known throughout the world for its international role in animal population management and wildlife conservation. Its Center for the Science of Animal Care and Welfare is at the forefront of animal care that strives to discover and implement innovative approaches to zoo animal management. Brookfield Zoo is the first zoo in the world to be awarded the Humane Certified™ certification mark for the care and welfare of its animals, meeting American Humane Association’s rigorous certification standards. Open every day of the year, the zoo is located at 8400 31st Street in Brookfield, Illinois, between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways and also is accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, CTA and PACE bus service. For further information, visit CZS.org.
 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sondra Katzen
Media Relations Manager
Office: 708-688-8351
Cell Phone: 708-903-2071
E-mail: Sondra.Katzen@CZS.org

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