Where are they found?
The Bennett’s Wallaby, like the kangaroo, are the most recognised of the marsupials found in the Australian and New Guinea regions in the wild. They are found in many different environments including open areas, bush areas, rocky outcrops and forests.

What are they?
They are mammals.

What do they look like?
The Bennett’s Wallaby has a striking beauty about it due to their graceful antics and posture. They are gray, have large hind feet and powerful hind limbs, which give them their characteristic fast hopping movement. At maturity the Bennett’s Wallaby reaches a high of about 60 to 75 cm (24 – 30 in.) and weighs between 13 to 24 kg (30 – 50 lb).

How long do they live?
Wallabies generally live for 12 to 15 years in captivity

What do they eat? Wallabies in the wild prefer to feed from dusk to dawn and like to eat grasses and other herbaceous plants. In captivity they eat fruit, hay and pellets. Breeding The Bennett’s Wallaby breeds easily in captivity with sometimes one baby per year. They have a short gestation period of about 30 days and when born, make their way to the pouch and attach themselves to the mother’s nipple for several months.

Are they rare?
In their native Australia they have been hunted mercilessly since the arrival of Europeans late in the eighteenth century. As the European settlements spread, the habitat and landscape were dramatically altered. Forests were cleared, native grasslands converted to pastures, and water availability increased by farming.

The wallabies were now seen by farmers as pests and by the mid nineteenth century new laws were passed requiring farmers to destroy millions of the animals.

In the 1970’s concern for the conservation of the species sparked a new wave of legislation stopping the killing of the species. Now relatively secure millions are still killed each year illegally.

Did you know?
Wallabies possess a pouch. As soon as the young is born it makes its way from the birth canal to the pouch climbing up the thick fur. The baby makes the journey on its own using its well-developed front legs to aid its process. Once in the pouch it attaches its self to one of the teats and continues to grow until ready to leave.