Zoo in Australia welcomes new koala joey

PERTH, Australia (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Perth Zoo celebrated the first public appearance of a koala joey on June 18, marking a milestone in its development after it spent months in its mother's pouch.

Born late last year, the joey is the offspring of first-time parents Mindjil and Laurie, who arrived to the zoo last year.

"Over the past months, keepers have been closely watching over Mindjil and tracking her pouch movements, occasionally spotting a little pink elbow or foot poking out," the zoo said.

"When koalas are born they are pretty much the size of a jellybean, so it does take them a solid seven months to get to this size, even though the joey is still very tiny," Keeper Bronte Winterbottom said. "We aren’t expecting her to be independent for at least another whole year."