PREVIEW

An unlikely friendship has bloomed between two adorable baby animals at an Australian zoo.

The Australian Reptile Park's two latest joeys, Albert the koala joey and Wilbur the wombat joey, have become BFFs.

Despite being different species, the pair have become inseparable, sharing meals, naps, and cuddles with their surrogate mothers, "koala whisperer" Hayley Shute, and Keeper Seleena de Gelder.

Under the watchful care of their surrogate mothers, Albert and Wilbur have established a synchronized feeding routine, sitting down together for their bottles like true fluffy pals. After a meal, Wilbur often becomes very energetic, while Albert takes a more relaxed approach, munching on eucalyptus leaves as a tasty post-meal snack. The duo even fall asleep together.

"I absolutely adore these two cuddle buddies," commented Keeper Seleena.

"When Hayley and I realised that we needed to feed both of our joeys at the same time, we started to meet up during their feeding time. As soon as they met, they were so curious about each other and now they've become best friends!"

Unfortunately, both joeys had a challenging start to life, coming into the care of their surrogate mothers only a month apart from each other. Albert, the smallest koala joey ever hand-raised at the Park, came under the care of Life Sciences Manager Hayley Shute just three months ago. After noticing that Elsa the koala, who was carrying the tiny joey, had suddenly fallen ill, Keeper Hayley was quick to intervene and remove the joey to give both koalas the best chance of recovery.

Wilbur, on the other hand, found himself in the care of Keeper Seleena de Gelder when a concerned passer-by discovered a wombat that had been tragically struck by a car. To their surprise, they found a fluttering movement inside the pouch, revealing the presence of a baby wombat. Acting swiftly, the rescuer brought the joey to the park, where Seleena stepped in to provide the care and love he desperately needed.

Albert the koala's surrogate mother, Keeper Hayley, concluded, "Even though both adorable joeys had a rough start to life, I'm so glad that they've become close and cherish each other's company. It's not every day that you see a koala and wombat become best friends," Keeper Hayley chuckled.

For now, Wilbur will remain at the Australian Reptile Park until he is ready to be independent. Once it is decided that he is healthy and strong enough, he will begin his transition training to be released back into the wild.

As for Albert the koala joey, once he is strong enough, he will transition to joining the Park's "koala preschool," where he will join this year's cohort of koala joeys.