While finding happiness may take a lifetime for many of us, these wonderful wild creatures appear to have discovered it from the moment they were born. Everyone should meet quokkas, the happiest creatures in the planet.
There weren’t many people outside of Australia who knew about those lovely tiny animals until a few years ago. However, the quokkas have recently become an online sensation. There isn’t a tourist on Rottnest Island in Western Australia who hasn’t taken a photo with these adorable marsupials.
Quokkas are known for being extremely gregarious creatures who live in clans and eat mostly vegetation. Rottnest Island is home to a substantial portion of its people. In Australia, there are around 12,000 people and less than 14,000 in total. In truth, the island’s name derives from the German “ratte nest,” which means “rat’s nest,” and was given by a Dutch sailor named Willem de Vlamingh in 1696.
The quokkas haven’t always been this way, despite their enticing smile. When they were first found in the 17th century, people assumed they were giant rats. Every time photographs of them appeal, they are now dominating the internet by storm.
While photographing them is perfectly OK, touching or feeding them is prohibited since it may result in the death of the adorable marsupials. “People prefer to feed them fries, bread, or fruit, and the animals develop a trust for people, which can lead to issues,” University of Western Australia researcher Sue Miller told National Geographic.
Unfortunately, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed these small smiling faces as vulnerable to extinction. Every year, almost 500,000 visitors travel to Rottnest Island to meet the world’s happiest animal.