While for many of us the pursuit of happiness might be a lifetime journey, apparently these lovely wild creatures seemed to be found it even since they are born. Everyone meet quokkas, the world’s happiest animals
Until a few years ago, there wasn’t many people outside of Australia to hear about those cute little animals. But lately, it turned out the quokkas became an internet sensation. Now you won’t find a tourist that visited Rottnest Island in West Australia, without taking a selfie with these cute marsupials.
Known as very social animals, the quokkas live in clans and they fed themselves predominately with plants. A large part of their population lives on the Rottnest Island. There are around 12,000 individuals and less than 14,000 all over Australia. In fact the name of island the was given by the Dutch sailor, Willem de Vlamingh, back in 1696 and it comes from the german “ratte nest” what means rat’s nest.
Despite their irresistible smile, the quokkas haven’t always been this way. Back in the 17th century, when they were discovered, people thought they were actually gigantic rats. Now, they are taking the internet by storm, every time images of them urge.
While taking photos of them is absolutely normal, touching or feeding them is illegal as it could cause the death of the lovely marsupials. “People tend to feed them fries, bread, or fruit, and the animals become trusting of humans, which can cause problems,” the biologist Sue Miller at the University of Western Australia told National Geographic.
Unfortunately these little smiling faces have been declared vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. More than 500,000 people are visiting the Rottnest Island every year, to met the happiest animal on Earth.