Photo credit: Philip Joyce
Meet Elvis, the Parma Wallaby joey recently born at Cotswold Wildlife Park. Elvis was orphaned soon after birth, as Deputy Head of Mammals, Jenni Maxwell (pictured above), explains: “Sadly, his mother died whilst he was still in the pouch so the decision was made to rear him by hand. Without intervention, he wouldn’t have survived”.
Jenni took on the responsibility and became a surrogate mother to the vulnerable newborn. Not only is this the first time Jenni has raised a joey, it’s also the first time in the Park’s history that a Parma Wallaby has been hand-reared.
Photo credit: Philip Joyce
Staff at the Park immediately made preparations for the orphan, which included making a new home to mimic his mother’s pouch. Chris Kibbey, Assistant Animal Manager, Registrar and keen amateur sewist, said: “I received a call on my day off from Jenni with an urgent request for an artificial Wallaby pouch. After discussing a few size requirements, I raided my haberdashery for some baby soft fabric and got out my sewing machine. I made the pouch double-layered, with a soft faux fur layer on the inside to provide comfort and warmth to the joey. A drawstring was added to the top so the pouch can be closed while the joey is sleeping. On the back was added a small loop with a clip to enable the pouch to be suspended, as real Wallaby pouches don’t usually rest on the floor! Washable baby-safe materials were used which meant Jenni could clean the pouch if the joey soiled it. I was delighted to receive a video of the joey snuggling up in the new pouch shortly after handing it over.”
Jenni took the joey home where he could be given around the clock care and ultimately the best chance of survival. She said: “At the beginning, I was feeding him every two hours throughout the day and night. The feeds would take about 40 minutes so it was a long process and I learnt how little sleep you can function on!”.
The joey has been given free reign of Jenni’s house. In the evenings he enjoys a fuss from Jenni and nestles up to her on the sofa. He particularly likes being brushed under his chin with the tiny comb Jenni has for her hamster and cuddling up to his kangaroo teddy.
Elvis has left the building
Now he’s grown in confidence and size, he’s started to graze in Jenni’s garden (pictured below). He’s also taken daily to the Park’s Wallaby paddock, not only to exercise and strengthen his legs, but also to get him used to being outdoors and among his own species. Jenni commented: “He bombs around and is really fast! These socialising sessions are important as he’s learning how to be a Wallaby by mixing with our group everyday. It is hoped that Elvis will eventually rejoin the Wallaby group at the Park and one day be part of the European Breeding Programme (EEP)”.
Photo credit: Philip Joyce
Commenting on her role as surrogate mother, Jenni added: “Although mentally and physically exhausting, it was one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my career. As time has gone on, his personality has really come through and he’s got quite the attitude for such a little man! The whole process has been a learning experience – from how much exercise he needs a day to what his favourite foods are (which is sweet potato at the moment but it changes daily). There have been many highlights but my favourite was when he learnt to hop out his pouch for the first time. That was really exciting! Another milestone moment was when he started to nibble at solid food as his teeth started to grow”.
The joey is named after Jenni’s father’s favourite singer – Elvis Presley. In fact, Elvis was gifted two Wallabies during his life – once while he was filming ‘Jailhouse Rock’ in 1957 and the second time was in 1962. He donated each of the animals to Memphis Zoo.
Visitors can see the Park’s group of Parma Wallabies in their large outdoor exhibit near the Capybara enclosure. The new Wallaby House was completed in 2023 and was designed by Jenni. Elvis will remain off-show while he is being hand-reared.
Additional information:
First Bennett’s Wallaby to arrive at the Park (archive photo from first guidebook in 1970)
- The Parma Wallaby is endemic to New South Wales in Australia. It was thought to be extinct from the 1930s until 1965*, when workers on Kawau Island, New Zealand, discovered it was part of a population of about 12 species of Wallabies and other marsupials that had been brought over from Australia almost a century before.
- Parma Wallaby (Notamacropus parma) are classified as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In their native homeland of Australia, they are listed as a vulnerable species.
- According to Park records, Wallabies were the first mammals to arrive at the collection. Five Bennett’s Wallabies arrived on 20 August 1969 ahead of Cotswold Wildlife Park’s official opening on 27 March 1970 (one pictured above).
- Parma Wallabies are marsupials (commonly thought of as pouched animals). They give birth to a single embryo after a gestation period of 33-36 days. The tiny joey instinctively crawls up its mother’s belly and into her pouch where it will develop and suckle. The young make their first excursions from the pouch at around 23–25 weeks old and pouch life is estimated to be around 30 weeks.
- The Parma Wallaby is the smallest of all the Kangaroo and Wallaby species.
- Inappropriate fire regimes, land clearing, predation by invasive species, habitat degradation, climate change and vehicle strikes are all contributing to their decreasing numbers in the wild.
- In December 2024, Australian National University published a study on the future of this vulnerable species. The Black Summer bushfires between 2019 – 2022 likely decimated Parma Wallaby populations and habitats, further contributing to their extinction risk. The study concluded that urgent action was needed to protect the Parma Wallaby. As a result, National Parks, zoos and nature reserves across Australia have been set up safe havens to conserve these animals.
- The Parma Wallaby was first discovered by British naturalist John Gould around 1840. Today, Gould’s Mammals of Australia is described as not only a great scientific book but also a piece of history. Many of the animals he wrote about have since become endangered or even extinct. His work remains one of the most important books in the history of zoology.