More great news from the pouch

November 22, 2019

Photo courtesy of Zookeeper Brandy.

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo is making great strides in contributing to the conservation of the Parma wallaby species.

 This fall, another Parma wallaby joey was born at Happy Hollow, and it is just starting to explore life outside its mother’s pouch. The joey is the twenty-eighth Parma wallaby born at San Jose’s zoo since 1994. Happy Hollow participates in co-operative breeding programs, known as Species Survival Plan programs which are coordinated through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to protect and increase populations of threatened and endangered species.

Native to Australia, Parma wallabies were once thought to be extinct until a small population was discovered in 1967. The Parma wallaby was listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife in 1970, and today populations are classified as near-threatened. This small, gray-brown wallaby is the smallest member of the genus Macropus, which includes all kangaroos and wallabies. The adults weigh 7 to 12 pounds and are around 18-20 inches tall, only one-tenth the height of the tallest macropod, the red kangaroo.

“Happy Hollow is an important contributor to the survival of this rare species,” says Zoo Manager, Kevin Hertell. “Over the last 25 years, several joeys born here have made their way to zoos across the United States and even abroad.” Happy Hollow is currently home to three adult Parma wallabies, two juveniles, and the new addition brings Happy Hollow’s count to six.

At birth, Parma wallabies that are smaller than a jellybean, must climb their way up into their mother’s pouch. The normal gestation period for these small macropods is only thirty-five days, but the small joeys do not start appearing outside the pouch until months after they are born.

With more joeys (we hope!) on the way in 2020, and to ensure healthy genetic populations of the species, several of the juveniles born at Happy Hollow will eventually make their way to other facilities that participate in the Parma wallaby Species Survival Plan program. But for now, visitors can catch a glimpse of this prosperous mob of wallabies in their habitats inside the Zoo in the Hollow.

The animal care team reminds visitors that the new joey may not always be visible when inside the pouch, especially on colder days. The best way to learn and see these amazing animals is through calm, quiet observation, and sharing questions with zoo staff.