KOALAS may be fighting for a foothold in parts of the Hunter but the native marsupials have had a bumper year a little further south.
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The Australian Reptile Park is claiming its best year ever in the conservation breeding program, which on Monday revealed their first joey to emerge from the pouch this year.
The six-month-old, nicknamed Lulu, has already captured thousands of hearts with a video cuddling into her mum Lillian.
General manager Tim Faulker said the season, which he described as “record-breaking”, was good news in a country with the world’s worst mammal extinction rate.
NSW’s koala population plummeted by a third over the last 20 years, Faulker said, putting them on track to extinction by 2050 if the trend carries on.
“This proves that, if needed, we can establish a captive insurance program and ensure the species is not lost,” he said.
Both Lulu and Lillian will be on show from this week.