Description
Sometimes the biggest milestones are the ones you cannot see.
For the last five months, southern hairy-nosed wombat Matilba has been carrying around a little surprise. Inside her pouch is a joey, quietly growing a little bigger every day. At birth, the joey was naked and only the size of a jelly bean. Now around five months old, this little one is still completely dependent on mom — but it has grown to the size of a sweet potato, and the first signs of soft fur tell Toronto Zoo's Wildlife Care team that everything is progressing as it should.
This joey is the result of years of planning and fine-tuning by the Australasia Wildlife Care team and other zoos that care for wombats. Breeding behaviour was observed between mom Matilba and dad Arthur in January, and in early April keepers observed the “fluttering movements” in her pouch region – the first indication that a baby was present. Since then, keepers have been keeping a close eye on this little wombat as it develops. Now that it is starting to poke its nose out of the pouch, we are excited to share that progress with you!
This is a meaningful moment as it is only the second time a wombat has been successfully reared at your Toronto Zoo. The first joey, a female named Nan (1994-2018) happens to be this new joey's great-grandmother!
Wombats are marsupials and their pregnancies only last for about three weeks: most of a joey's development happens outside the womb, in the pouch. As a result, they are sensitive to disturbances, and may even be ejected by their mother in times of stress. Matilba and Arthur have been housed separately for the past several months to reduce any potential interference. To help provide the quiet, comfortable environment she needs while raising her joey, Matilba also has 24/7 access to her climate-controlled nest box, where she often chooses to rest and sleep. This means she may not always be visible to guests, but this extra privacy is an important part of supporting both mom and joey during this critical stage. While there are still many months before the joey will be independent, guests may be lucky enough to catch the first tiny peek out of the pouch in the coming weeks, with full pouch emergence expected later this fall.
For now, this little joey's world is no bigger than the safety of mom's pouch.
Make sure you stay tuned to our social media for more updates and to find out when you might be able to spot this special little one. 🤎