The Australian Reptile Park in New South Wales has reopened its doors to Australians beginning June 1, 2020. It was a great time to welcome guests back as the park was celebrating. Bushfires ravaged the continent from the summer of 2019 until early this year. But now, the park was excited to share the birth of the first koala bear since the bushfires.

In an announcement on Facebook on May 26, 2020, the park called the newborn a sign of hope for native wildlife.

The little girl’s name is “Ash.”

“We have a very special announcement… Our very first koala of the season has popped out of Mums pouch to say hello!” the park wrote. “Keepers have decided to name her Ash! Ash is the first koala born at the park since the tragic Australian bushfires and is a sign of hope for the future of Australia’s native wildlife.”

The bushfires decimated over 13 million acres of land in New South Wales. It was the hardest hit by the bushfires in that region alone.

In the southeast state alone where the city of Sydney is located, the fires destroyed 2,500 homes and killed 25 people as reported by The New South Wales Rural Fire Service and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

According to the University of Sydney, the continent is estimated to have lost over 1 billion animals in total, and even entire species. 800 million of those deaths were in New South Wales.

Renewed hope is brought to the region in the birth of one of Australia’s most iconic animals.

The koala species is already threatened by disease and habitat destruction. The bushfires have added more stress to their lives. Ash’s birth is particularly important as it brings new hope for the survival of their kind.

CNN said that a report published in March 2020 warned of an “immediate threat of extinction to koalas.”

The news outlet also interviewed International Fund for Animal Welfare campaigner Josey Sharrad, who explained why koalas were so susceptible to the fires:

“Koalas are particularly vulnerable to bushfires as they are slow-moving and live in eucalyptus trees that burn quickly and intensely. When fires sweep through their homes, they often don’t have time to escape, particularly in intense crown fires that rage through the treetops where they live.”

The world’s only koala hospital in the town of Port Macquarie is also located in New South Wales. They also announced back in April that some of their patients were able to be released back into the wild.

There is no guarantee if the koala population can recover after these bushfires. They need all the help they can get, more especially those from conservationists.

Lucky for Ash as she is in good hands. Immediately after her birth, she climbed right into the pouch of her mom Rosie where she stayed for months.

The wildlife park was able to capture on video the first time she poked her head out and shared their video. At five months old, Ash says hello to the world of social media. Joeys normally stay in their mother’s pouch after birth for about six months.

The birth of a healthy koala is a sign that the breeding program at the Australian Reptile Park could be a fruitful way to help save the species.

While claims that the animals are “functionally extinct” are false, they are greatly endangered and will need all the help they can get surviving as a species.

Be sure to scroll down below to catch a glimpse of baby Ash poking her head out of her mom’s pouch for the first time!

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Source: ABC/Good Morning America, Australian Reptile Park Offical Website, Australian Reptile Park via Facebook, CNN