UNDER THREAT: This new koala joey is the first of a group of joeys born on Koala Island as part of Australia Zoo's breeding program for the vulnerable species.

UNDER THREAT: This new koala joey is the first of a group of joeys born on Koala Island as part of Australia Zoo's breeding program for the vulnerable species. Ben Beaden

ONE of Australia Zoo's newest explorers has poked his head out of the pouch for the first time.

The koala joey is the first of a group of joeys born on Koala Island as part of Australia Zoo's breeding program for the vulnerable species.

Leading the group of the zoo's record season of 13 koala joeys, the yet-to-be- named boy and mother Ash, will stay together for more than a year while he learns skills such as climbing and grooming, before reaching independence.

The little daredevil has been caught climbing onto his mum's head while the other joeys are still nestled in the pouch.

As part of Australia Zoo's commitment to saving our emblem species, its koala experts focus on genetic diversity in the breeding program to encourage the best family trees.

Australia Zoo koala department head Kirsten Latham said keeping a diverse population at the zoo was important due to koalas' drastically declining numbers in the wild.

"The population of koalas in Queensland are being radically affected by disease, habitat loss and the increasing human footprint," Ms Latham said.

"Having koalas at the zoo means that people can visit them, fall in love with them and learn how they can

help save them from ending up on the endangered

list.

"Apart from being a significant contributor to the koala breeding program to ensure that people can see koalas for years to come, Australia Zoo is also one of the only places in Australia where guests can cuddle a koala, which is pretty special."

Koala-inspired tourism is worth $3.375 billion to Australia each year, with 11% of tourists travelling to Australia just for these native Australian mammals.

FAST FACT

While eucalyptus is the main source of food for koalas, joeys are not born with the digestive enzymes to make the transition from milk to leaves straight away. Before they begin their diet of leaves, joeys must first eat "pap", a specialised form of their mother's dropping which helps them adjust to consuming such a potent diet.