Wallabies can be pretty cagy. One of them at the Sunset Zoo had twins last December and kept it a secret until only recently. Zoo staffers were stunned when the babies began to emerge from their mother's pouch.
They were even more stunned when they discovered that the second joey was albino.
Sunset Zoo's albino is an accident of nature.
Albino wallabies are fairly common in Australia, where private zoos breed specifically for the recessive trait. It is against the policy of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for accredited zoos to breed for such traits, so albinos are unusual at accredited zoos. Such prominent manifestation of recessive genes means that albino wallabies often suffer myriad health problems like poor vision, sun sensitivity, cancers, and other diseases. Sunset Zoo's albino joey is all white with pink eyes and thus far appears to be healthy.
Keepers named the albino baby "Bruny" after an island off Tasmania in Australia where a colony of some 200 albino wallabies lives.
Staff believes that Bruny was born in December of 2020 and started peeking out of the pouch in July. The other joey, which has a normal grey-brownish color, was named Arlo, emerged before Bruny.
Bruny began emerging from its mother Jeri's pouch in late September, allowing zoo visitors to get a better look. Keepers haven't determined whether the joey is male or female.
Zoo staff believes that Bruny was born in December of 2020 and started peeking out of the pouch in July. The other joey, which has a normal grey-brownish color, was named Arlo, emerged before Bruny.
Visitors to Sunset Zoo can see Bruny and its mother, the other joey Arlo, and his mother Dolly, and their father Irwin, at the Australian Walkabout.