Story By: Kathryn Quinn, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

A zoo is celebrating this new addition to its koala family just a few months after two of their koalas died – with the tiny baby now leaving its mothers pouch for the first time.

Mum Erora has given birth to a cute baby Koala at Duisburg, a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state North Rhine-Westphalia.

Animal photographer Susanne Goede-Sahin said: “Just before the koala house closed on Monday I saw the little head appear out of the mother’s pouch. It then crawled out to its mum and cuddled with her.”

The koala whose gender is yet unknown spends most of its time in its mothers pouch asleep.

The koala who is born blind, without hair and no bigger than a jelly baby spends around 180 days in the mothers pouch before coming out after the birth.

Zoo ranger Mario Chindemi said: “A koala birth is such a special moment for me. Breeding of koalas is very difficult also the care of them is difficult in Germany, therefore the birth makes us even happier.”

The koala has been seen poking out of the pouch a few times over the past few weeks, but this was the first time the koala was seen outside of its protective pouch.

Chindemi said: “The mothers pouch is a safe haven for the koala.

“To be able to process food young koalas get bacteria from their mothers, which contain the right bacteria and is eaten by the young animals. Koalas are very sensitive and the change from milk to food is one of the most critical parts of their development.”

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