Prague zoo has its first wombat!

Cooper is the first and only wombat in the Czech Republic. He should move to the Darwin Crater exhibit next January. Photo Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

“The wombat - one of the symbols of Australia - is a truly strange and yet attractive animal. So, we are very pleased indeed that we can introduce this unique marsupial to the Czech public,” said Miroslav Bobek, Director of Prague Zoo. “Cooper belongs to the Tasmanian subspecies of the common wombat and a female should arrive from Tasmania to meet him.”

The wombat is the closest relative of the koala. It inhabits Tasmania and the wetter areas of Australia. It is the only marsupial that remains active during colder periods when snow falls. It mostly forages for food at night, eating a variety of grasses and sedges. It marks its territory with its droppings, which have an unusual cube shape. Wombats spend much of their lives digging underground burrows and tunnels. Therefore, the females have their pouches turned backwards, so that they don't cover the young with dirt.

Cooper was born last July at Erlebnis-Zoo in Hannover and is the first cub to be born there since 1993, as well as the first offspring of the local breeding pair - a three-year-old female, Maya and Kelly, a five-year-old male.