BROOKFIELD, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A massive line wrapped around the Brookfield Zoo’s Hamill Family Play Zoo on Tuesday, as the public got its first look at two cuddly, new additions: Koalas Willum and Brumby.
Willum and Brumby are the first koalas to call Brookfield Zoo Chicago home in its 90-year history.
“They’ve acclimated really well,” said Mark Wanner, the associate vice president of animal care and conservation.
Both koalas were born at the San Diego Zoo in 2022. Officials said Willum can be distinguished by his larger size and a darker nose than Brumby’s, which has a large, pink spot.
Their arrival made Brookfield Zoo the only accredited zoological facility in the Midwest where the public can see koalas.
Koalas are one of only a few animals that eat eucalyptus leaves, which are very toxic to most other animals. That diet largely accounts for why there’s a good chance visitors will catch the marsupials napping, Wanner said.
“They sleep 18 – 22 hours a day, just to conserve their energy to help digest that toxic food that they eat,” he said.
Wanner said the best times to see the koalas will be right as the zoo opens, because that's when the koalas will be eating breakfast. The mid-afternoon, between about 2:30 – 3 p.m., will be another good time to check on Willum and Brumby.
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