Orphaned baby wallaby joey raised by zookeeper in her home

By Filipa Gaspar

A newly-born Parma Wallaby joey orphaned soon after birth has been hand-reared by a zookeeper in her home.

Elvis was orphaned right after birth as his mom died whilst he was still in the pouch at Cotswold Wildlife Park.

Deputy Head of Mammals, Jenni Maxwell, explained the decision was made to rear him by hand - and without intervention, he wouldn’t have survived.

Jenni took on the responsibility and became a surrogate mother to the vulnerable newborn. She took the joey home where he could be given around-the-clock care and ultimately the best chance of survival.

Not only is this the first time Jenni has raised a joey, it’s also the first time in the Park’s history that a Parma Wallaby has been hand-reared.

Staff at the Park immediately made preparations for the orphanage, which included making a new home to mimic his mother’s pouch.

She said: “At the beginning, I was feeding him every two hours throughout the day and night. The feeds would take about 40 minutes at the beginning so it was a long process and I learnt how little sleep you can function on!”.

The joey has been given free reign of Jenni’s house. In the evenings, he enjoys a fuss from Jenni and nestles up to her on the sofa.

He particularly likes being brushed under his chin with the tiny comb Jenni has for her hamster and cuddling up to his kangaroo teddy.

Chris Kibbey, Assistant Animal Manager, Registrar and keen amateur sewist said: “I received a call on my day off from Jenni with an urgent request for an artificial Wallaby pouch.

"After discussing a few size requirements, I raided my haberdashery for some baby soft faux fur fabric and got out my sewing machine. I made the pouch double-layered, with a soft faux fur layer on the inside to provide comfort and warmth to the joey.

"A drawstring was added to the top so the pouch can be closed while the joey is sleeping. On the back was added a small loop with a clip to enable the pouch to be suspended, as real Wallaby pouches don’t usually rest on the floor! Washable baby-safe materials were used which meant Jenni could clean the pouch if the joey soiled it.

"I was delighted to receive a video of the joey snuggling up in the new pouch shortly after handing it over.”

Now he’s grown in confidence and size, he’s started to graze in Jenni’s garden and is taken daily to the Park's Wallaby paddock not only to exercise and strengthen his legs, but also to get him used to being outdoors and among his own species.

It is hoped that Elvis will eventually rejoin the Wallaby group at the Park and one day be part of the European Breeding Program (EEP)."

Commenting on her role as a surrogate mother, Jenni added: "Although mentally and physically exhausting, it was one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my career. As time has gone on, his personality has really come through and he’s got quite the attitude for such a little man!

"The whole process has been a learning experience – from how much exercise he needs a day to what his favorite foods are - which is sweet potato at the moment but it changes daily.

"There have been many highlights but my favorites were when he learnt to hop out his pouch for the first time and when he started to nibble at solid food as his teeth started to grow – that was really exciting!”.

The joey is named after Jenni’s father’s favorite singer – Elvis Presley.

Elvis was gifted two Wallabies during his life - once while he was filming 'Jailhouse Rock' in 1957, and the second time was in 1962. He donated each of the animals to the Memphis Zoo.