Zoe the wallaby joey was found alone in a paddock in Rotorua , she was brought to the Franklin Zoo & Wildlife Sanctuary in December 2010. After 5 months of rearing she has moved in with Eugene (a 12 year old Tammar Wallaby) who has been on his own since the old Cape Barren geese passed away recently.
The introduction was gradual while Eugene got to know Zoe. Zoe was put into his enclosure inside a large cage so that they could get to know each other for a couple of weeks. Then on a fine and sunny day, Zoe’s cage door was opened and in her own time, she hopped out of her cage and investigated her new surroundings.
Eugene was very pleased to see her and after much frantic hopping around all over the place, they settled down to sniff and get to know each other closely. Eugene was seen to be a very kind and gentlemanly fellow, letting Zoe take food off him and treating her with gentleness. Both the wallabies are very happy with each other and are a delight to watch hopping around, eating and sunbathing together. Zoe still get’s her milk formula and a heating pad at night, however she has developed a great relationship with Eugene.
Tamar Wallabies live in scrub and semi-desert of the southern tip of Western Australia and Kangaroo Island (S.A.). They eat grasses, leaves and bark.