Crystal

(Female - Whiptail Wallaby)

On the 2nd of August, we received a call from Cairns Tropical Zoo asking us to pick up two little orphans that needed some care. Both animals had been dropped into the zoo by people who had found them near their dead mothers.

Having cared for many Agile joeys in the past, we expected that these two new orphans were the same.

Much to our surprise, one of the joeys was actually a Whiptail wallaby, aptly named for their extra-ordinarily long tail. Their colouring is similar to that of an Agile wallaby, although a little darker.

Whiptail wallabies are also known as "Pretty-face" wallabies, and after seeing this cute little girl you can see why this name is very true.

Found mainly on the Atherton Tablelands and south of Cairns, Crystal's appearance on the coast near Cairns is a bit of a mystery?

After 3 months in care, Crystal was doing very well. Weighing almost 5kg she spent most of her time grazing, although she still liked her pouch at night.

She became very good friends with our Wallaroo, Jack and the two of them hang around together most of the day. In a way this is good as they will be released in the same area, although they are different species.

She had her first tetanus injection in preparation for her release after 5 months in care. As hand raised macropods do not have the same immunities as their wild counterparts, it is wise to have them immunized for extra protection from disease.

Crystal was released with our Wallaroo, Jack, on the 19th of November 2007 at the Mareeba Wetlands on the Atherton Tablelands. They have a soft release pen where the animals are given time to adjust to their new surroundings before being exposed to the wild.

After her 90 minute car trip, she hopped out of her pouch and checked out her new surroundings. There were two other macropods in the pen already, one of which is a young male whiptail wallaby.

We are hoping that Crystal and this young male may become an "item" and one day have many young joeys of their own! Crystal was a bit shy at first, but I am sure they will become good friends.

Crystal was an adorable little female wallaby. I am sure that she will adapt to her new home well and have many joeys of her own.

Can you believe that they used to cull these beautiful animals?