Spring has arrived at AquaZoo: wallabies and penguins see the light of day

Spring has arrived at AquaZoo. At the zoo in Leeuwarden, two swamp wallabies, two African penguins and one tammar wallaby have seen the light of day.

The birth of the tammar wallaby is particularly special. Only thirteen cubs of this species have been born in zoos worldwide in the past 12 months. In fact, AquaZoo is currently the only zoo in Europe to see a newborn tammar wallaby. "That is of course very special. As it looks now, visitors can come and see the cubs starting May 19," said head of animal care William Kreijkes.

Dutch touchThe tammarwallaby, which lives in southern Australia, can be recognized by its gray-brown fur with gray-yellow belly. "The tammarwallaby is the first kangaroo species seen by Western explorers. There is even a Dutch touch to it: Dutchman François Pelsaert first saw the tammarwallaby on Nov. 15, 1629," Kreijkes knows.

Two eggs were hatched in African penguins. This species, found in southern Africa, is threatened. Kreijkes: "This is due to drilling for oil and gas in the habitat of these animals. There is also overfishing, leaving less food for the penguins. Because the population of the African penguin is declining, there is a breeding program for these animals. We are happy to participate in this, to ensure a healthy population of this species in zoos."

Curator of the breeding programTwo swamp wallabies were also born at AquaZoo. Extra special for the park because Kreijkes is the curator of the breeding program for these animals. "That means I take a close look at which animals can best be mated in order to get healthy young. We have that knowledge in-house and it's nice that that result is visible in our park," Kreijkes said.

The swamp wallaby is found in eastern Australia. As its name implies, this wallaby lives primarily in swamps. It also lives in mangroves and open forests. The swamp wallaby has dark brown to black fur. The belly is yellow to orange in color.