Cypriot albino wallaby one of just four in world
A baby albino wallaby – one of just four of its kind in the world – has gone on display to the public at a zoo in Cyprus after leaving its mother’s pouch for the first time.
The tiny marsupial was born on June 19 but it was weeks before staff at the Paphos Bird and Animal Park in the southeast of the island realized the rarity of the new arrival.
“You can only see the baby about a month after it is born,” park owner Christos Chrystoforou told the Cyprus Mail. “It then starts coming out of the pouch: in the beginning, all the babies are of the same flesh colour.”
Christofourou said he had realized the wallaby was albino when he saw its red eyes. “Some of the staff were wagering me that it was just a normal baby, but slowly its white fur began to grow,” he said.
No albino wallabies have been spotted in the wild for nearly three decades, although three more of the creatures live at zoos in Australia and England, Christofourou added.
So far the baby wallaby appears to be in good health, poking its head out of its mother’s pouch. But staff fear it will struggle to adapt to Cyprus’ extreme heat and fierce sunshine – though they hope the park’s trees will provide enough shade for the sensitive creature.
The park’s marketing manager Gail Coffin said the best time to see the wallaby was early in the morning or in the evening as the sun sets.
The sex of the creature has yet to be determined though Christofourou said it was probably male.