Albino red-necked wallaby being feed by its keeper Raine Eagleton.
Rare albino wallaby at Auburn Botanic Gardens and Fauna Reserve
A rare white wallaby is fast becoming the star attraction at Auburn Botanic Gardens and Fauna Reserve.
The female red-necked albino wallaby is now 11 months old.
Normally this species is a grey to reddish colour, but due to a genetic condition, this little wallaby has a loss of pigment causing her to have a white coat.
Fauna keeper Raine Eagleton said the all-white marsupial came as a surprise to keepers.
‘‘They start off pink and when she didn’t get that brown colour, she started to come through white and that’s when we knew we had an albino on our hands,’’ she said.
The albino wallaby’s soft complexion is susceptible to sunburn but Ms Eagleton said its enclosure had lots of shade and it should lead a normal life.
‘‘Mostly we provide them with a nice shaded area but because of her white colouring she can be exposed to the sun on her ears and nose,’’ she said.
‘‘Otherwise she is perfectly happy with the others.’’
Albino wallabies are very rare in captivity and even more so in the wild.
‘‘In the wild albinos are quite rare and they don’t really survive as they are quite distinctive for predators to see,’’ Ms Eagleton said.
‘‘So they often don’t last.’’
Auburn Botanic Gardens and Fauna Reserve are calling on the public to help name the albino wallaby.
To enter, like the Auburn Botanic Gardens and Fauna Reserve on Facebook and write your selected name as a comment on the page.
The winning entrant will receive a framed photo of the wallaby and the opportunity to join in on a feeding session in the fauna park.
Submissions close at noon on February 28 and will be announced on Auburn City Council’s social media pages.
Entries can also be made in person at Auburn Botanic Gardens.
Details: auburn.nsw.gov.au.