Taipei Zoo’s first hand-reared koala, Bess, has made her debut at its Koala House, the zoo said on Thursday.
Bess is a little underweight — she is 2.5kg at age one year and two months — compared with other female koalas at the same age, but her monthly health checks indicate that she is healthy and growing steadily, the zoo said.
Her name, which was derived from “blessing,” was chosen by her care team when they began raising the koala, it said.
Zookeepers began short meetings between Bess and other female koalas in April and May, allowing her time to get used to