New year, new home as wallabies settle in at Caracas zoo

Caricuao gets some 22,000 visitors a month and has around 200 animals, Hidalgo said. But he says it still lacks many big-draw species, notably elephants and giraffes, something he hopes may change now that the marsupials are there.

Four wallabies, including two albinos, are poised to become the newest attractions at Venezuela's largest zoo, where a senior official hopes they will herald the arrival of more visitors - as well as other species. The quartet, a female and three males, arrived at Caricuao Zoo in Caracas on Dec. 22 from a zoo in Toledo, Spain, said park coordinator Jesus Hidalgo.

Venezuela's zoos and national parks have not escaped the impact of its long-running economic crisis, which has made financing their animals' upkeep difficult, according to employees. Caricuao gets some 22,000 visitors a month and has around 200 animals, Hidalgo said.

But he says it still lacks many big-draw species, notably elephants and giraffes, something he hopes may change now that the marsupials are there.