A BABY wallaby is being hand-reared in a furry rucksack at Studley Grange Butterfly World and Farm Park in Swindon.

The wallaby, Riley, is four months old, and had to be looked after because his mum died of pneumonia (an infection in the lungs) three weeks ago. She was found dead after the usual daily checks were made at the park.

The first forty-eight hours were critical to keep and eye on Riley as he was at risk of not surviving after his mum was found dead.

Jackie Guscot, the manager of Studley Grange, said: “We have a group of wallabies here, one of them had Riley in the pouch and when wild animals are all together, they never show that they are unwell, and they don’t show this because it’s a sign of weakness.”

Julia Stewart who has been Riley’s main carer, has carried him in a furry rucksack which would feel like the pouch of a mother wallaby. She looks after him all hours of the day and will be fed every four hours, he’ll either eat lactose-free milk, grass, veg, fruit and alfalfa - a livestock plant that contains vitamins, minerals and protein.

Jackie said: “If you left him in the field alone with the other wallabies he would have died and so he is with a member of staff twenty-four hours a day.”

When Riley is nine months old, he will be able to join the other wallabies and won’t need to be kept in a rucksack. But they do let him run around and hop with the other wallabies for a little bit every day, Jackie said: “We let him have some time with the other wallabies otherwise he wouldn’t know he is one. He has done amazingly well and is a happy soul.”