A very special baby wallaby bounced from its mother's pouch for the first time at Folly Farm, Begelly, on Friday, unaware that its arrival has made a significant contribution to its species' number. The baby, yet to be named, is the first Parma wallaby to be born at the Pembrokeshire attraction, as part of a European breeding programme for these critically endangered animals. Once thought to be extinct in the wild, captive breeding programmes have rescued the species from disappearing altogether. The tiny Parma wallaby was born six months ago to doting parents Sydney and Adelaide. After being born as a tiny worm-like 'pinky', baby wallabies crawl through the mother's fur into the pouch where they remain and continue to develop. This wallaby's first baby-bounds on solid ground signal a resounding success for the zoo's breeding programme. Said head keeper, Tim Morphew: "We are all so delighted that we've had a Parma wallaby born, and that it's survived those first few months and grown to independence. Seeing the baby leave the pouch for the first time is like watching a child's first steps. It's a very special moment - we're all so excited, we're bouncing around ourselves! We'll find out its sex and name it in the next few days." As well as being the rarest of all wallaby species, Parmas are by far the smallest - measuring less than 50cm from nose to tip! The baby will remain in the pouch most of the time for the next two weeks or so, when it will eventually be turned out for good! Said Tim: "You'd be lucky to see these animals anywhere, they're so rare. To have a breeding population here in Pembrokeshire is just fantastic."