(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Those who visit the Brookfield Zoo this week will have the chance to witness a historic day at the 90-year-old zoo: the public debut of koalas Brumby and Willum, who became the first koalas to call the zoo home earlier this year.
Brumby and Willum will make their first public appearance on Tuesday, officials announced.
The 2-year-old koalas came to Brookfield through a partnership with the San Diego Zoo. A Brookfield Zoo spokesperson said they hope Brumby and Willum’s arrival will “illuminate the challenges faced by koalas in Australia and help Zoo guests gain a deeper understanding of wildlife from across the globe.”
The koala duo will be fed a specialized diet of eucalyptus leaves, a normally toxic vegetation that the animals are able to break down with specialized gut bacteria. The process takes energy, and that’s why koalas tend to sleep in trees for up to 18 to 22 hours a day.
With Brumby and Willum, the Brookfield Zoo became one of only 11 accredited zoological facilities in North America with koalas, which are designated as a “vulnerable” species, the zoo said.
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