Zoo Royally Delighted by Bilbies Birth . . .
An Australian zoo has credited the success of their Bilbies breeding programme to a visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Taronga in April 2014.
Taronga Zoo announced the birth of the two joeys in December 2014, capping off an exciting year that saw The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge officially open its new Bilby exhibit named in honour of their son, Prince George.
Bilbies are also known as rabbit-bandicoots or macrotis. The zoo believes the marvellous marsupial births have also helped build on the incredible exposure generated.
Bilby Keeper, Paul Davies said: “You could even say the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge brought us good luck, as it’s after their visit that we’ve been able to breed Bilbies for the very first time.”
The youngsters had their first hands-on health check last week, with keepers confirming the pair are both female.
Taronga have launched a public naming competition for one of the two joeys on its Facebook and Instagram pages, calling for suggestions that reflect the joey’s native habitat.
“We’ll be looking for a very Australian name, but not ‘Bruce’ or ‘Sheila’,” joked Bilby Keeper, Paul Davies.
“It would be wonderful to find a name that reflects this beautiful Bilby’s natural habitat, which has sadly declined due to the introduction of farm animals and predators such as feral foxes and cats.”
Keepers have named the first of the two joeys ‘Tanami’ after the Tanami Desert, which is home to fragmented populations of the Greater Bilby.

Featuring: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge
Where: Mosman , New South Wales, Australia
When: 11 Feb 2015
Credit: Supplied by WENN.com

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