The first Czech baby wombat peeks out of its mother Winkleigh’s pouch.
The first baby wombat born in the Czech Republic can be seen at the Prague Zoo. Although it was born last September, it can only now be observed because wombats, like other marsupials, are born in the embryonic stage and subsequent development takes place in the safety of the mother’s pouch. In February, the cub began to stick its limbs out of the bag, and from March onwards, its head, which was still bare at the time. She is now fully furred and left her mother Winkleigh’s pouch for the first time a few days ago for a short walk. On Saturday, June 15, the gender and name of the little wombat will be revealed by the patron of Prague wombats, actor and presenter Ondřej Sokol. The festive event will start at 2 pm in the Darwin Crater.
“Male Cooper didn’t have an easy time with his mate Winkleigh at first. Straight from Tasmania, the female chased Cooper around the paddock and gave him more than one bite while getting to know him. But there is no better confirmation that they have found their way to each other than the birth of a cub – the first of its kind in Czech zoos,” said the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek.
The cub’s parents are the aforementioned first pair of common wombats in the Czech Republic: a five-year-old female Winkleigh born at the Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary in Tasmania and an almost four-year-old male Cooper from the Hanover Zoo. These marsupials, related to koalas, are famous for their cute appearance and unique cube-shaped droppings. The best way to see them is during their guided feeding, which takes place every day from June 1 at 2 p.m. in the Darwin’s Crater exhibition unit in the lower part of the zoo.
In addition to christenings, a thematic program will also be prepared for children visiting Veselovského luka and its surroundings on Saturday. It is inspired by Peter John Nicholson’s research on the “wombat boy” and includes, for example, digging or measuring wombat burrows, searching for treasure, making wombat cubes or demonstrations of their atypical defenses.
For the media: On Saturday, June 15, there will be a meeting for the christening at 1:30 p.m. at the main entrance to the Prague Zoo. Requests for accreditation should be sent by noon on Friday to the email masek@zoopraha.cz.
Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo