Early morning rounds for Rangers at conservation organisation, Aussie Ark, came with a very tiny surprise this week, when they stumbled upon a young Rufous Bettong joey who had been separated from mum. The young joey was found in freezing cold temperatures, curled up on the ground, and is thought to have been thrown from mums’ pouch in the early hours of the morning.
“Stumbling upon this little guy, was quite the surprise. Given the freezing conditions we’ve had overnight, I was so relieved to find him alive” said Kelly Davis, Aussie Ark Curator.
She continued “I quickly scooped him up and wrapped him in my beanie, before racing back up to HQ to warm him up properly and give him a thorough wellness check – which he passed! He took a bottle and quickly curled up and went to sleep in my hand hands”
The tiny orphan will now require around the clock care from Kelly for the next 6 – 8 months while he continues to grow! This will include a bottle every 3 hours (even during the night!), regular health checks to weigh him and measure his growth and providing lots of cuddles. Once Stanley has reached maturity, he will re-join other Rufous Bettongs in the organisation’s conservation breeding program to ensure he retains natural wild behaviours.
The Rufous rat-kangaroo (Aepyprymnus rufescens), more commonly known as the Rufous Bettong, is a small marsupial species of the family Potoroidae found in Australia. It is found in coastal and sub coastal regions from Newcastle in New South Wales to Cooktown in Queensland and was formerly found in the Murray River Valley of New South Wales and Victoria.
Tiny Stanley has a long way to go but is in good hands with Ranger Kelly. To stay up to date with Stanley’s progress head to aussieark.org.au
