Stepping back from the usual static caravan/lodge paraphernalia, I thought I would share my experience of caring for and enjoying the company of Wallabies. As an animal lover, I have always found it very therapeutic sharing time with various creatures large and small.
From the early days of my children’s ponies there have been domestic animals living alongside us. But now the ponies have been replaced by Alpacas and Rheas, keeping the main paddock tidy.
Some ten years ago I was introduced to Wallabies, and having a small paddock readily available – I took the plunge – and what beautiful creatures they are. The first breeding trio I acquired were, by their very nature, nervous and it took some time before they adjusted to their new environment. When they started to breed and the young came along, they became far more approachable and a joy to spend time with. In no time at all we were up to a family of nine (known as a Mob) and they were starting to outgrow their paddock. Fortunately, I was in contact with a professional breeder who supplied Wallabies to good homes throughout the UK and France and I keep my numbers down to a manageable seven.
Wallabies spend most of their day eating grass and foraging for anything else they can find. We feed them every morning with goat mix, cabbage, carrots, and other vegetarian treats. But their slice of bread each, goes down extremely well. They are compassionate loving animals who never quarrel and watching them tuck in to a slice of bread (one each end of the slice until their noses meet) is most heart-warming.
One of the most precious moments to share with these delightful creatures is early Spring when mum sits up, scratches her chest and a little inquisitive head pops out of her pouch. As time goes by her ‘joey’ pops out at leisure and will often graze from the pouch while mum is doing the same. By the summer, they spend most of their time out of the pouch and can be seen playfully enjoying their day.
Very early spring last year we unfortunately found a very small baby wallaby that had died. It seemed the mother had carried it to the food bowl to bring it to our attention. For the next two weeks she sat alone in the corner of the paddock mourning her loss. We very much look forward to her nurturing her new joey this year.
If society were to adopt the compassionate approach to life like Wallabies – what a wonderful world it would be. If you would like to know more about these beautiful creatures click on Wikipedia Wallabies as it certainly makes a good read.
