Columbia, SC (WLTX) - The Riverbanks Zoo has a new Koala joey, zoo officials announced Monday.

The koala was born last October to Jimmie and Lottie, two Koalas who've been at the zoo for several years. For about seven months, the animal spent time growning in his mother's pouch.

"Koala joeys start out about the size of a jelly bean and will on average spend six to seven months nursing and developing in their mother's pouch before they are ready to begin exploring the outside world - typically one limb at a time or by poking their head out on occasion," said John Davis, curator of mammals at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.

This birth is the fourth offspring for Jimmie and the sixth for Lottie. Lottie came to Riverbanks from Australia in October 2003, as a result of a sister-state relationship between South Carolina and Queensland, Australia. Jimmie came to Riverbanks from the Los Angeles Zoo in December 2008.

Guests attending Riverbank's ZOOfari, the Zoo's annual fundraiser hosted by Riverbanks Society-will have an opportunity to bid on naming the koala joey as part of a silent auction. For more information on ZOOfari, visit the Riverbanks Zoo's website.