11 times Australia Zoo's baby animals made us say 'awwww'
List
By Katie Ireland
There is a universal truth that in life, there aren’t many things cuter than baby animals.
I mean, what else can evoke that heart-warming sense of empathy (apart from locking eyes with your own offspring) than witnessing a baby kangaroo peering out of the safety of its mothers’ pouch or watching a newly born giraffe as it attempts to find its feet for the first time.
According to researchers, we find baby animals so cute because of our genetic attraction to human babies and the animals’ similarity in features. The big eyes, small nose and little body of both baby animals and humans create a code for cuteness that we physically can’t deny.
In Queensland, we seem to breed them with that extra dose of giddy cuteness, and you can find them all at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast.
We don’t mean to brag, but crikey, these little tuckers are adorable. So cue the “awws” and prepare to coo over this list of the cutest baby animals at Australia Zoo.
Lawrence the cheetah
Lawrence is a cheeky little guy with a great sense of adventure and a love for playing footy with his keepers. With a face this charming, it is easy to forget that cheetahs are fierce hunters and the fastest land animal on the planet reaching up to 112km in three seconds.
At almost two years old, Lawrence is now considered fully grown and is an ambassador for his wild cousins found on the African plains.
Hermione the koala
Although not a permanent resident of Australia Zoo, Hermione is a patient at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital after she was left orphaned when she and her mother were involved in a dog attack.
This beautiful girl was rescued and brought into the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital where the wonderful carers are giving her around-the-clock care over the next nine months until she is ready to be released back into the wild. It seems she is getting some koala-ty cuddles from that teddy bear during her stay.
The new recruit
Cue the coos! Australia Zoo has welcomed its newest baby giraffe last week after a 15-month pregnancy (yikes) for her mother Rosie. Born at two metres tall and weighing in at 60kg, this gorgeous girl will continue to thrive, gaining an inch in height every day over her first week.
Mumma Rosie and her new calf are spending some quality bonding time together before they are introduced to the rest of the herd in the African Savannah in the coming weeks.
Jira, Archie and Eve the dingo pups
Dingos are the wild dogs of Australia but can easily be mistaken in features as a man’s best friend. Archie, Eve and Jira are now adults at three years old but are still just as striking as the day they sat for this family portrait.
Archie is a little more reserved than his two sisters and loves sleeping and sunbathing in his enclosure (I’m all about that life too, Archie). Eve and Jira are more adventurous and love going for walks around the zoo grounds, playing with their keepers and striking poses with zoo guests for the gram on their travels.
Bert the koala
Oh baby Bert. You are the epitome of the love heart eyes emoji! This beautiful boy is the newest addition to the Australia Zoo family and loves snuggling his koala plush toy.
Koala joeys aren’t considered independent until around the age of one as they still rely on their mother for milk and learning life’s koala-fications from those around them.
You can see Bert hanging out (literally) with his pals in the koala enclosure or if you’re keen for a cuddle, there are three koala encounters held daily where you can cuddle up for a photo with some of the adult koalas at the zoo.
Jimmy the wombat
Well hello, handsome! Meet Jimmy, the youngest member of the wombat family at Australia Zoo. Jimmy lives with his Mum, Poa and Dad, Milo along with his other wombat pals in their one-acre enclosure which is complete with air-conditioned dens. Luxe!
Jimmy is happiest exploring every nook and cranny of Australia Zoo on his walks around the grounds or admiring from afar in his wombat wagon when those little legs get tired.
Scout and Delilah the tiger cubs
Scout and Delilah are the second pair of tiger cubs to be born at Australia Zoo and are of incredible genetic importance to the global breeding program of the Sumatran Tiger.
At 2.5 years old now, Scout and Delilah aren’t babies anymore but you can catch these cuties getting up to mischief in the lush surrounds of their Tiger Temple.
The real star
Famous for its striking shell pattern, star tortoises inhabit the hot dry scrubland areas of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. These little tuckers are born at only 12cm and are considered fully grown at approximately 35cms.
Make the most of the Queensland sunshine like this little dude and come to say hi to him at Australia Zoo.
Melman the kangaroo
Melman loves snuggles and is one hoppy resident of the Roo Haven at Australia Zoo. You can hand-feed Melman as well as all his skippy mates in the open range enclosure where there is always a kangaroo keen to say g’day and have a bite to eat, directly from your palm.
There is no time limit for guests in the Roo Haven so enjoy taking your time with these beautiful creatures and see if you can snap a skippy selfie for the family album.
Sunny the giraffe
Legs eleven! For your daily cuteness overload, look no further than Sunny. This gorgeous giraffe calf is not yet one and still learning the way of life from his Mum, Sally.
Sunny is the fifth giraffe birth at the zoo in just over two years and you can catch this handsome fella frolicking around the African Savannah of Australia Zoo.
A koala-ty duo
As a mumma to my own little joey, I know this feeling all too well. There is something though about seeing a baby animal snuggled up to its mother that pulls on the heartstrings in more ways than one.
Koala joeys are born only 35 days after conception. From here the joey makes its way to its mother’s pouch where it remains for 6-7 months drinking only its mother’s milk. After some appearances outside the safety of its mothers’ pouch over the next few months, the baby will become fully independent by 12 months old.
