"Hope" The Red neck wallaby

June 2003

This little female came to me in a sorry state, she was thin and malnourished, the wounds on her backbone and base of her tail were deep. The state of the animal was such that the vet considered euthanasia, but on second thoughts it was decided that she should be given a second chance.

Her wounds had to be bathed regularly during the day, antibiotic cream applied, injections for infection, and she was fed small amounts on a regular basis to build her system up again.

She responded to the treatment, her weight gain happened fast, and she regained her confidence, it did not take long at all for her to become interested in the others, she was soon hopping around in the pen, looking like a shaved wallaby. She had of course not been shaved, the reason for the fur loss was more than likely due to urine burn, or a pouch too hard for her delicate skin.

Her fur re grew slowly, her wounds healed in time, but her fur did not re grow on the affected areas.

Her mental state did also recover over time, as she started to interact with the other joey's in care, it was obvious how she once again started to take an interest in life, where on arrival she had been uninterested in what took place around her.

 

So what happened to Hope?

She was found in the pouch of her dead mother after a car accident and brought in to care. Unfortunately after that we do not exactly know what happened, but from her injuries it seems that the person caring for her, did not know how to pouch her correctly. There has also been a problem with the feeding of this animal, as her weight was not what it should have been, she was malnourished.

Her wounds may have been sustained in the car accident, but this seems unlikely as a veterinary surgeon saw her shortly after the accident, and later reported to me that those wounds had not been apparent at that stage

 

Hope had a complete recovery from her ordeal, and was released with her adopted family group, she is seen here just before being transferred to her release site, where she spent another few months before being finally set free.

 

 

 

 

  
 

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All native birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975, they may not be captured or harmed in any way without an authority issued under the Wildlife Act.