Blog

Wallaby joey - mother a gunshot victim

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

WIRES rescues and rehabilitates many wallaby joeys. The reasons joeys can be orphaned are varied, often as a result of car accidents where the mother is fatally injured, others from dog attacks where the joey may fall from the pouch during the escape or where the attack has been fatal.

This little Red-necked wallaby came in to care for different reason.

Early in July Sam from the far north coast of NSW heard gun shots in the distance, but was unable to say exactly where it came from. That same evening a wallaby was seen, obviously injured sheltering near buildings, but when approached it hopped away, Sam was unable to get close enough to investigate further.

The following morning the wallaby was found dead near some cabins.

Sam investigated further and found a gunshot wound on the leg of the female wallaby, she had slowly bled to death. In her pouch Sam found this little joey. The joey is now in care with WIRES and is approximately 7 months old, and certainly unable to fend for itself. It will be in care for many more months and when old enough it will be returned back to the wild.

How irresponsible of the shooter, to injure an animal and then leave it to suffer. If it were not for Sam this joey would also have died a slow agonizing death alongside its mother. Wildlife is protected by law.