Australian Reptile Park welcomes first two quokkas

By AG Staff Writer September 15, 2016
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The Australian Reptile Park in NSW has welcomed its first two smiling quokkas as part of a new breeding program.

THE AUSTRALIAN REPTILE Park on the New South Wales Central Coast has welcomed two quokkas, sisters Coco and Ginger, as part of a new breeding program being adopted over the next 12 months.

Coco and Ginger will be joined by male quokkas in the next 12 months in a bid to kickstart a new captive population of the wallaby-like marsupial famous for its permanent smiling face.

Native to south-west Western Australia, the species (Setonix brachyurus) is listed as vulnerable, with the biggest population found on Rottnest Island.

quokkas

Native to WA, Quokkas are listed as vulnerable. (Image courtesy Australian Reptile Park)

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Tim Faulkner, General Manager of the Australian Reptile Park and 2015 Australian Geographic Conservationist of the Year, said keepers at the Park are excited to work with the “world’s happiest animals” for the first time.

“Quokkas have a permanent smile on their faces lifting the spirits of all who work with them or admire them,” Tim said.

The quokkas will be on display in the Park’s echidna yard.