Baby wallaby hand-reared in rucksack at Swindon sanctuary after mum dies from pneumonia

A baby wallaby is being hand-reared in a rucksack at an animal sanctuary near Swindon after its mother died from pneumonia.

Four-month-old joey, Riley, is being nurtured by wildlife carer Julia Stewart at the Studley Grange Butterfly World and Farm Park.

She carries him in the furry rucksack strapped to her chest from 6.30am to 10.30pm everyday - and then he sleeps on her bed.

Riley is allowed out of the pouch for up to an hour and a half a day while staff encourage him to hop around with other wallabies.

Riley sleeps in the rucksack dangling from the headboard of her bed at home, is protected by her pet collie and even has a special spot in the passenger seat of her car.

The wallaby is fed every four hours and enjoys a diet of lactose-free milk, fruit, veg, a bit of grass and alfalfa, a nutritional plant - though makeshift mum Julia said he particularly enjoys snacking on strawberries and grapes.

Wallabies, native to Australia and New Guinea, have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years and typically spend nine months in their mother’s pouch.