Mollie plays mum to save baby wallaby

Jun 5 2009 by Lisa Boyle

Mollie Paterson

CUTE Willow the wallaby is no ordinary fluffy friend.

The new addition to the Heads of Ayr Farm Park is the first wallaby in Scotland to be hand reared.

Having been rejected by her mother, Willow spends day and night with the park manager.

And she spends most of her time snuggled up in a rucksack worn to the front – just as she would if she were in her mother’s pouch.

Mollie Paterson stepped up to the challenge when Willow was found alone and scared in one of the farm park fields.

Mollie explained: “We don’t know for certain what happened, but we think she has fallen out of her mother’s pouch and in the meantime her mother has had another joey.

“We think she’s about seven months old. She was found about three weeks ago panicking.”

Mollie takes Willow with her everywhere she goes – she even sleeps in a travel cot beside Mollie’s bed.

And it’s not the first time Mollie has played mummy to animals.

She continued: “I’ve worked here for 14 years now and I’ve taken the odd goat kid home in my time.

“I was brought up on a farm, so I was always rearing something.

“This is the first time I’ve reared a wallaby though!”

Willow is fed on puppy milk, sweet potato and apple.

But the fussy eater turns her nose up at guinea pig mix and Mollie is trying to persuade her to start eating grass.

Mollie’s husband Peter, a quad bike supervisor at the park, fully supports his wife – and even takes his turn at the nighttime feed.

When she is around ten months old, Mollie will gradually leave Willow in the open for half an hour at a time.

It is hoped that she will eventually reintegrate with the 24 other wallabys at the farm park.

Mollie said: “She basically thinks I’m her mum. She’s quite comfortable with some people, but other times she just wants her mum.

“I sometimes feel a bit of an idiot walking around with a red rucksack, but I think when it comes to taking her out of the pouch and putting her back with the other wallabies it will be harder for me than it will be for her.”