Two koalas to be temporarily housed in New York zoo

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Even though many people know what a koala looks like, they now have the chance to see not one, but two of them at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse.

Koalas are rare in American zoos. Only ten in the United States are permitted to care for koalas by the Australian Government and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

When you visit the zoo, you can find Kumiri and Kolet, the two female koalas, at the koala outpost this summer.

The zoo is able to house these two marsupials temporarily due to the Koala Conservation and Education Loan Program, which seeks to educate the public and encourage people to care about this amazing species.

So far, zoo staff says the pair have enjoyed their time in Central New York. Zoo guest can visit the koalas through early September before they leave.