Moonlit Sanctuary’s first-ever park born koala joey has at last climbed out of the pouch after months of endless naps, fury cuddles and eucalyptus delights. The koala joey named Banjo is now ready to ride on his mum’s back and see the world after being successfully bred in captivity, a momentous occasion for Moonlit Sanctuary.

Moonlit Sanctuary is Wildlife and Conservation Park is renowned for excelling in conservation and breeding programs, and for its passion for Australian Wildlife.

Wildlife koalas are becoming extremely difficult to acquire which is why a glorious event like Banjo’s arrival wouldn’t be possible without the help of a well-suited wildlife park. Considered a national treasure, koalas are now sadly a threatened species in NSW and QLD because of a dramatic reduction of their natural habitat, dog attacks, climate change and disease. This recent status has inevitably also had a direct impact in the state of Victoria.

After years of friendship, Tehree Gordon, the co-founder of Jirrahlinga Koala and Wildlife Sanctuary, happily assisted in loaning a breeding male koala to Michael Johnson, the director of Moonlit Sanctuary.

Director Michel Johnson said: ‘This level of cooperation between wildlife parks is extremely important to maintain a viable population of koalas.’

Following months of suspense since February, the little male marsupial has finally emerged. In the early days, Banjo spent a long time in the mum’s pouch and fully attached to her teat. As he grew bigger, bits and pieces of his body appeared from time to time. Occasionally he would stick a leg out of the pouch, then an arm or its head a few days later. Some days, he pulled most of his body out to take a quick look around, before quickly hopping back in.

Banjo is now 7 months old and is mostly hanging out on his mum’s back. Visitors are welcome to see him at the latest exhibit – a 10,000 sq. ft koala experience. Beautifully built with care, it includes five habitats for the koalas, specially set up to encourage their breeding. Visitors will also find an encounter area where they can get real close and even cuddle up to a koala.

Open for visiting during the day or on night tours visitors can enjoy seeing over 60 species at the 10-hectare park which recently won the Premier’s Sustainability Award for Environmental Protection.

For more details on Moonlit Sanctuary click here.