Picture of the day: Somebody to hug

(Reuters)

Fear not. This cute baby koala isn't clinging to a cuddly toy because anything tragic has happened to his mother – he's just getting weighed.

At 215 days old, he's now happy to explore the world outside of his mother's pouch, and yesterday met his public for the first time. Home for this baby koala is a zoo in Duisberg, western Germany. At the weigh-in, the grey bundle of fluff tipped the scales to just 528g, or as one German newspaper put it, "about two packs of butter".

He's yet to be christened, although his mother goes by the name Goonderrah, the Aboriginal word for fighter. It's not clear a combative spirit runs in the family – this gooey-eyed little chap looks about as scary as his stuffed friend.