Rare albino wallaby born at rescue centre

A rare albino wallaby has been born at a rescue centre.

Staff at the charity Little Zoo, near Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire, believe the animal is about six months old.

Nicola Emery, the centre's operations manager, said: "he didn't look any different than normal to begin with."

She added: "Then his fur started to grow through white, and his eyes were red, his ears were a little bit pink and his feet were really pink."

She added: "Obviously, [when they are born] they've got no fur, so when their head first comes out of the pouch, they look a pinky-grey colour and it's hard to tell what colour they're going to be."

The centre is asking the public to help name the new wallaby.

The Little Zoo, which rescues exotic pets, has a mob of six Bennett's wallabies.

The sex of the newcomer is not yet known and it is not expected to venture out of its mother's pouch for a month or so.

"[But he's been] staying safely tucked up in the pouch where he belongs.

"She's a first-time mum but she's doing really, really well.

"And everybody's loving this new little baby. They're lovely animals and he'll be staying here," Emery added.

Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, across the border in North Somerset, is home to eight Bennett's wallabies.

Shelly Parkins, the zoo's head primate keeper, said she was "thrilled" by the news.

"Albino wallabies are incredibly rare in the wild," she said "because their lack of pigmentation makes them much more visible to predators."

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