Fancy that! Jackie the wallaby to be hand-reared at Portland farm

Jackie, a wallaby based at Fancy’s Farm, Portland, will be raised by Su Illsley, the farm’s joint owner.

She becomes the second wallaby to have become hand-reared at the farm, following in the footsteps of Bindi, who was brought up last year.

The wallaby is thought to be just over six-weeks-old.

Su said: “We noticed her trying to feed last Friday off Bindi, which was last year’s hand-reared baby. But she’s not Bindi’s baby. Bindi has her own baby.

“Unfortunately Bindi beat her up. She went and hid herself in the goat shelter. They’ve got a piercing alarm call. Jon heard her alarm call and she bounced straight to him.

“Fortunately our vet was here at the time seeing to the horses and she had an injured eye.

“Instead of having to take her to the specialist vet our vet saw her straight away within five minutes.

“She’s been bottle fed ever since Friday. She’s that little she can’t regulate her own temperature at the moment.”

Su has since taken care of Jackie, who initially weighed 1.2kg. In comparison, Bindi weighed 2.5kg when Su first began to hand rear her.

Su said: “If this had been the first wallaby it would have scared me because she’s so tiny and she needs to have her temperature regulated.

“Because she’s so small she’s taken to being hand reared a lot quicker.

“Bindi was three months when she became independent. She weaned herself off the milk.”

Due to Jackie’s size, Su suggested it could take at least four months before Jackie can return to the pen.

Su said: “She’s got to be stimulated to go to the toilet. She’s still a pouch baby.”

Su said Jackie had already become quite humanised.

On Sunday, Jackie was  introduced to actor Martin Clunes and horse trainer Monty Roberts. 

Both were at an event being held at Kingston Maurward College.

Wallabies are part of the kangaroo clan and most commonly found in Australia and on nearby islands.

However, Fancy’s Farm has cared for a number of wallabies for the past few years.

Young wallabies, known as joeys, are born undeveloped and crawl into their mothers’ pouches where they continue to develop after birth.

Fancy’s Farm is a community farm that relies entirely on donations. In addition to wallabies, the farm caters for horses, ponies, sheep, goats, pigs and birds.