Wallaby joey rescued after mother suffered prolapsed pouch

Cover Media

Tue, 16 May 2023 at 3:26 pm BST

A wallaby joey has been rescued after its mother suffered a prolapsed pouch preventing her from carrying full-term.

After keepers at the Australian Reptile Park carried out a routine health check of their nine yellow-footed rock-wallabies, the Mammals team noticed that Kelly, one of the females, was pawing at her pouch.

Knowing that she was carrying a beautiful young female joey, the team were quick to undergo a check of Kelly’s pouch to see whether the joey, and Kelly herself, were in good health. Upon the initial check, the team could see that Kelly’s pouch had prolapsed, meaning that she could no longer carry her little joey.

Luckily, the team was able to act fast, removing the joey from the pouch, to ensure she would survive. The new little bundle of joy was placed in a soft, knitted pouch to mimic the warmth, softness, and security of her mum’s. After the joey was safely in a warm pouch, the Keepers assessed her age by weighing and measuring her, ensuring that she received the right amount of milk to promote healthy growth. To their relief, the little wallaby weighed 500 grams, indicating good health despite the challenges posed by mum’s prolapsed pouch. During the assessment, they also discovered that the joey’s tail was almost twice the length of her body, another great indication of healthy progress.

Australian Reptile Park’s Life Sciences Manager, Hayley Shute, said “It comes down to both luck and passion that our staff were able to see something was off with Mum and rescue this little joey. We’re very lucky to have some of the best zookeepers in the business here! Sadly, Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate on the planet, so the joeys are especially important in preserving this incredible species!”