Photo/Illutration Quokkas at Saitama Children’s Zoo (Provided by Saitama Children’s Zoo)

HIGASHI-MATSUYAMA, Saitama Prefecture--Small, adorable marsupials native to Australia called quokkas will make their debut at the Saitama Children’s Zoo on July 1.

It is the first zoo in the world outside of Australia to raise and exhibit the cheery-looking animals.

The zoo reopened on June 22. It welcomed two female and two male quokkas from an Australian zoo in March during the temporary closure. They are each around 40 to 50 centimeters tall.

Quokkas are often called “the happiest animal in the world” for their smiling appearance. But they are designated as endangered species.

The Saitama zoo specializes in raising animals from Australia, such as koalas and kangaroos. It had negotiated with the Australian zoo for years to bring the quokkas here.

The cute creatures are extremely popular.

The zoo started posting videos of animal cubs on social media in March, as they had many newborn cubs, including mara, a kind of rodent, and pudu, the smallest deer in the world. After that, the zoo’s popularity surged.

In April, the zoo began posting videos of the quokkas. The number of followers for its social media account nearly doubled to 22,000.

The zoo received comments from all over Japan. Some said they intended to visit Australia to see the animal, but then changed their plans to visit the Saitama zoo instead.

“It is adorable,” one South Korean commented. “I will visit Japan to see (the quokkas).”

The zoo is planning to hold a vote to decide their names.

“The quokkas are jumping around and really energetic," a zoo staffer said. "Please come see them and de-stress yourself.” 

Only those with tickets can see the quokkas. Tickets get visitors 10 minutes of viewing time in a time slot between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

The zoo opens at 10 a.m., but until July 10 it is only open on weekdays.

Customers must go through a body temperature check at the entrance and are required to wear masks at the zoo.

Related News