(Photo: courtesy of Magnetic Hill Zoo)

A new addition as the Magnetic Hill Zoo raises awareness about the Outback.

Three young male Wallabies have arrived.

“They are a small kangaroo and they’re all marsupials. So they have a pouch in which their underdeveloped young are born.  These are Redneck Wallabies. They tend to be a little bit more in a forestry type of area, where a kangaroo is often found to be much larger and in more open spaces, They are from Australia,” Zoo Director Jill Marvin told Acadia Broadcasting,

Each year, the Zoo creates a new exhibit. For 2022, it features, “The Year of the Outback,” which includes the Wallaby.

“Each and every year the Magnetic Hill Zoo focuses its conservation and education efforts towards the country and a group of animals. There are a few species of wallabies and many species of marsupials that have been affected by deforestation,  poaching and forest fires so this year, we decided to raise some awareness. Hopefully, people will be inspired to want to help protect these unique animals,” Marvin explains.

The Wallabies aren’t out just yet for visitors, but Marvin expects it will be soon, “We did our walkthrough(of the exhibit) yesterday. Everything’s going really, really well. There are a couple of things to adjust. And next week we’re going to be installing the interpretation and the signage. The Wallabies will have their final veterinary inspection, and once those things are done, we’ll be gradually introducing them to the habitat and visitors should be able to see them before the end of the month.”

It has been some time since the Magnetic Hill Zoo included a Wallaby as one of its attractions, “It’s been a really long time. There is some memory that Bernie has talked about from way before, but it’s been many, many years,” Marvin says,