A koala has been born for the 100th time in an Australian zoo. The Australian Reptile Park speaks to a special moment for both the zoo and the species.

Hayley Schott, director of Zoo North Sydney, chimes Video on YouTube until the so-called Joey has yet to be seen. The animal is about four months old and still lives in its mother’s pouch.

The koala was discovered when zoo workers saw something moving in a koala’s pouch named Ash. The zoo has been running a koala breeding program for over twenty years.

The birth is very special because the mother was the first koala to be born at the zoo after wildfires in late 2019 and early 2020 had a devastating effect on the koala population.

“It is a symbol of hope that Ash will give birth to her 100th koala,” said Director Schott.

The Australian government declared the koala an endangered species over a year ago. Diseases, wildfires and habitat loss have led to a sharp decline in koala numbers in recent decades.

The government also released $50 million to investigate how to better protect koalas. Without this help and interventions, the animals could become extinct by 2050, according to experts.