As the weather warms, the Numbat joeys have been observed emerging from their underground chamber and taking their first tentative steps into their new world above ground.  

These Numbats were born the size of tiny pink jellybeans in February behind-the-scenes as part of our breed-for-release program.  

The two females and one male have spent the past months tucked safely away with their mum, and being carefully monitored through CCTV by the animal care team. 

Now weighing about the same as a chicken egg, the curious joeys have gained independence and can be seen climbing over mum’s back and darting between her legs whilst exploring their new surroundings.

As they continue to grow, the bundles of joy will begin learning the skills they need to survive in the wild, including how to find their favourite food – termites!

Numbats can eat up to 20,000 termites per day, using their long tongue to slurp up every morsel.

Behind-the-scenes, our breeding facility provides the animals with a naturalistic environment which closely mimics what they would have in the wild, setting them up for the best chance of success for life beyond our Zoo gates. 

Perth Zoo Science staff will continue to monitor them via CCTV to ensure the young develop as they would in the wild in preparation for a release later this year.  

The tiny trio are among five joeys welcomed through the Native Species Breeding Program, which has been helping release endangered and critically endangered animals into wild habitats for more than 30 years.

Since the program commenced in 1996, 325 Zoo-born Numbats have been released into protected habitats across Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales.

Earlier this year, the species reached a major conservation milestone, with Numbats downlisted from Endangered to Near Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.

While the downlisting marks an important conservation milestone, our work is far from over. Ongoing breeding efforts are still needed to secure the species’ long-term future in the wild.

This season’s cohort of joeys represent the next generation of Numbats helping to continue one of Australia's most successful native species recovery programs.

We are the only zoo in the world to breed Numbats, and visitors see the iconic marsupial every day from 9am to 5pm.