Baby Koalas At San Diego Zoo Right On Track

Two Queensland koala joeys were examined by keepers Thursday morning at the San Diego Zoo as part of their regular weekly check-up.

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An 8-and-a-half-month-old koala joey named Burra is carried by his mother, Tonaleah, after the two received their weekly weight check by keepers at the San Diego Zoo.

San Diego Zoo

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An 8-and-a-half-month-old koala joey named Burra rested on his mother, Tonaleah, while the two received their weekly weight check by keepers at the San Diego Zoo.

San Diego Zoo

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An 8-and-a-half-month-old koala joey named Burra rested on his mother, Tonaleah, while the two received their weekly weight check by keepers at the San Diego Zoo.

San Diego Zoo

The 8-and-a-half-month male joeys, Coedie and Burra, and their mothers were brought down from the perching structure in their exhibit and placed onto a scale by animal care staff for their weigh-in.

Keepers first weighed mother Cambee with her joey, Coedie, to get their combined weight, and then Cambee was weighed separately to calculate the joey's weight. The same process was repeated with Burra and his mother, Tonahleah, to calculate their weights. Keepers held the young joeys while the mothers were being weighed so the youngsters weren't stressed during the brief separation.

Keepers reported that both joeys are right on track with their development. Coedie (meaning "boy" in the Aboriginal language) weighed 2 pounds and Burra (meaning "big fella") weighed 2.49 pounds.

"We weigh all of our koalas weekly, not just Mom and joeys," senior keeper Katie Tomlinson said. "It's just to make sure they're healthy, they're growing like they should, and it's a good opportunity for us to get a nice up-close look at them," Tomlinson said.