For a long time you could only hear the offspring of the Tasmanian naked-nosed wombat – now the young animal can also be seen at Hanover Zoo. The third cub of the wombats Maya and Kelly was very reserved during the time in the pouch, the Hanover Zoo announced on Wednesday. That’s why the zoo doesn’t yet know what gender the offspring is.
After 22 days of gestation, the still tiny offspring climbs naked and blind into the mother’s pouch and sucks on to a teat. According to the zoo, the young animal then spends another six to seven months in the pouch.
While the zookeepers were able to see the rear end of his previous siblings early on, the little wombat only ever poked his naked nose out of the bag. The gender will probably only be known during an initial examination by the zoo veterinarian in November.
Until now, the little wombat had been snuggled up in its mother Maya’s pouch. From there you could hear the young animal cackle, but not see it.
If you want to catch a glimpse of the little wombat in the zoo, you need a lot of patience and good eyesight. The animal stays close to the mother and hides under her belly. According to Hannover Zoo, the wombats Maya and Kelly and their offspring are the only representatives of their subspecies in Germany. There are therefore 21 animals across Europe.
