FOSTER-PARENT

Evening Post, Issue 82, 6 April 1936, Page 3

FOSTER-PARENT

KANGAROO AND WALLABY

A WAIF BEFRIENDED

(From "The Post's" Representative.)

SYDNEY, March 26.

Melbourne Zoo officials are watching with intense interest one of the rarest examples of animal foster-parenthood that has come under their notice, and as remarkable in its way as the rearing at the Taronga Park (Sydney) Zoo some years ago of a lion cub by a bulldog. The Melbourne Zoo experiment is, the rearing of a baby wallaby by a doe kangaroo.

A party motoring in Gippsland ran over and killed a large wallaby. In its pouch was a baby no larger than a woman's hand. The piteous whimperings of the "joey" were so touching that they decided to save its life if they could. They took it to the curator of the Australian section of Melbourne Zoo, who was appalled at first at the prospect of keeping it in an incubator for several months, and of feeding it with rrfilk several times a day.

Then came the thought that Topsy, a black-faced kangaroo, whose baby was just able to fend for himself, might adopt the wallaby. ' The foundling was.placed in Topsy's pouch, where she sniffed it and puzzled over it for aiv anxious quarter'of an hour. The baby's contented squeak as it snuggled into the warm pouch, apparently touched the maternal heartstrings of Topsy. who tucked the last inch of skinny little tail in out of the cold, and bounded off, followed by her own rather puzzled offspring.

The waif is regularly removed from the pouch, and fed with a teaspoon, to augment the failing natural supply. Then he is returned to the pouch without a sign of protest from Topsy. After three weeks, the waif is making excellent progress. He is growing fast, and has developed a coat of soft grey fur.