Image: Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue Ltd
Local residents of the Seaford area and surrounding suburbs have been told to keep a look out for a swamp wallaby who has gotten a little lost.
The Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue Ltd posted on its Facebook page over the weekend, urging Seaford residents to keep a look out for a loose swamp wallaby who seems to have wandered away from his home.
Swamp wallabies are not native to Seaford and the rescue centre is unsure at this point how the furry animal ended up near the beach.
The swamp wallaby was initially spotted on the Esplanade in Moana and later on Grand Boulevard in Seaford.
The rescue organisation are instructing people not to catch him if spotted, and instead to call them on their hotline so he can be rescued safely.
The swamp wallaby’s native habitat is the thick forests and swamps of Eastern Australia, and can be identified by their dark brown fur and organs patches on their bellies, chest and ears.
They are often small and weigh up to 15 kilograms.
Despite their small size, the rescue organisation said in its statement that attempting to catch an adult wallaby is very dangerous to both the human trying to catch him and the animal.
Macropods, a family of marsupials that includes wallabies, can suffer from a condition called Capture Myopathy. Due to the stress of being captured, the condition causes the break down of the muscles, lactic acid to build up, and their vital organs to shut down. This can cause a slow and painful death for the animal.
If you live in the Seaford area, or are just visiting, keep a look out for the lost swamp wallaby so he can get home safely.
If you spot the Swamp Wallaby, please call the Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue Ltd hotline on 0435 056 252 or message their Facebook page.
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