Three-year-old Maisy is now sharing a space with Mikey and it is hoped they'll mate.
Keystone
Two female koalas have recently arrived at Zurich Zoo, where it is hoped they will mate with two males as part of a conservation project.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/jc
Maisy, 3, and Pippa, 18 months, were presented to the media on Wednesday after coming out of quarantine. They arrived at Zurich ZooExternal link at the beginning of June to join Mikey and Milo, two males who have been at the zoo for nearly a year and a half.
Like the males, the new females come from the Australian Reptile Park in Sydney… so they might even have met before, zoologist Robert Zingg told journalists.
The two males have so far shared their space in Zurich with wallabies and emus, but Maisy is now sharing the same enclosure as Mikey. He seems interested, but she is ignoring him for the moment, even pushing out of a tree when he approached.
Pippa remains in a separate space for now, as she is younger and less strong. Female koalas generally give birth at 3 to 4 years of age.
Although not officially an endangered species, the koala population of Australia has been devastated over the last 100 years and is currently under threat due to urbanisation and massive, uncontrolled habitat destruction. The Australian Koala FoundationExternal link estimates that more than 80 percent of original koala habitat in Australia has been cleared since European settlement.
More
More
Endangered lion monkeys born in Zurich Zoo
This content was published on
Two little golden lion tamarins, an endangered species of monkey, have recently been born in Zürich Zoo.
Swiss institute hosted informal talks between Russians, Ukrainians and Americans
This content was published on
The Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) has hosted 10 meetings between Russian and Ukrainian interlocutors since the start of the war.
Automated driving on Swiss motorways is theoretically possible from March
This content was published on
It will be theoretically possible to hand over the steering wheel to technology but no such system has been submitted for official approval yet.
Heated atmosphere at Swiss rally against AfD politician Alice Weidel
This content was published on
Around 250 people demonstrated "against the right" and the German AfD politician Alice Weidel on Saturday afternoon in Einsiedeln.
This content was published on
The Ethos Foundation recommends that shareholders vote against all compensation-related items at the Annual General Meeting on March 7.
Top Swiss firms close to reaching gender quota in boards
This content was published on
The proportion of women on the boards of directors of the fifty largest listed companies in Switzerland currently stands at 28%.
Basel to vote on referendum over CHF100 million aquarium
This content was published on
Opponents have succeeding in forcing a referendum on the opening of an ‘Ozeanium’ showcasing marine and freshwater creatures from around the world.
This content was published on
Markus Schietsch clearly remembers his first encounter with a wild bull elephant. He was in the back of an open pickup truck when the elephant repeatedly mock charged the vehicle in the Kaeng Krachan national park in Thailand. The adrenalin-packed experience was courtesy of a study trip organised by the Zurich zoo, as the Zurich…
This content was published on
Goma, a 'happy and caring grandmother', has died. She was the first gorilla born in a European zoo, becoming a media celebrity.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.