Visitors were excited to see superstars Frankie and Tim Tam the kangaroo joeys become the best of friends at the Australian Reptile Park over the Easter long weekend.
Whether it was the Easter bunny cheer, or the vibrant atmosphere as crowds visited the park, the jumping joeys have become fast, inseparable friends.
The pair have been spotted spending time together despite having two very different starts to life.
Frankie the kangaroo joey made headlines recently as the world fell in love with her and her story of recovery.
Keepers were forced to conduct an emergency intervention to care for her and ensure her survival after she developed various skin conditions.
She has since made a full recovery and keepers have begun reintroducing her to the free-roaming kangaroo family at the park, where another joey, Tim Tam, has also been growing up.
It was only a matter of time before the two kangaroos became acquainted with one another and they are now inseparable.
Frankie is a few months older than Tim Tam but the two have been spotted bouncing around together, having the occasional friendly spar and sharing lunch together.
Frankie goes down into the main park area for a few hours at a time under keeper supervision to ensure she is being welcomed with open arms by the other kangaroos that call the Australian Reptile Park home.
Thankfully, with Tim Tam showing her the ropes, Frankie has joined in with the kangaroo family perfectly.
Head of Mammals, Dean Reid, said there is always a bit of anxiety when reintroducing a kangaroo joey back into the mob.
“You never know if they’re all suddenly going to fight or cause issues,” Reid said.
“But thankfully, this couldn’t have gone better.
“Frankie looks forward to being in the main park area each day, spending time with Tim Tam and meeting guests.
“Frankie has been through everything you can imagine, and it makes us all get a bit teary to see her just like all the other kangaroos again, from having skin issues, to suckling on her own feet so much that the only way to stop it was to put special socks on them – it’s been a rollercoaster.
“We couldn’t be happier to see Frankie bouncing around alongside Tim Tam, and look forward to seeing their friendship continue to blossom.”
Source:
Media release, Apr 5
The Australian Reptile Park