Baby koala's survival thrills zoo

Koori is starting to nibble on eucalyptus leaves

A tiny koala who had to be taken early from his mother's pouch has made what zoo staff call a "miraculous recovery".

Three weeks ago tiny Koori was dehydrated, underweight and suffering from an infection.

At first he seemed reluctant to accept his surrogate mother, Sydney zookeeper Darrelyn Rainey.

But now the feisty marsupial - still small enough to fit into the palm of an adult's hand - is beginning to chomp eucalyptus leaves.

Koori was removed from his mother Jolie's pouch in mid-September, when he was just over six months old and weighed just 320 grams (11 ounces).

'Over-stressed'

Koalas normally only begin to venture outside their mothers' pouches at between seven and nine months' old, but staff at Taronga Zoo in Sydney noticed Jolie had developed a rash and realised her health was beginning to deteriorate.

He's now very clingy - which is OK because he'll be with me for the next few months Darrelyn Rainey Zookeeper Koori meets the press

"We discussed the situation with the veterinarians and they recommended intervening to save Jolie any further anxiety and to ensure Koori's survival as Koala mothers are known to throw their babies out of the pouch if they become over-stressed," said Ms Rainey.

She took over round-the-clock care and described the first few days as a "real fight" to get Koori to accept his two-hourly feeds of specially formulated koala milk.

Eventually, however, they bonded and three weeks later, Koori is considered out of danger. He has gained 40 grams, and delighted staff when he nibbled on his first eucalyptus leaves.

"He is on three to four feeds a day and though he is still a fussy eater, he's now also very clingy - which is OK because he'll be with me for the next few months until he is fully weaned," Ms Rainey said.

Koalas are a symbol of Australia and can live for up to 18 years.

It is estimated there were up to 10m koalas at the beginning of the 20th Century, but today there are only 100,000.

They are a protected species but are common in some parts of Australia.