Baby Wallaby, Abandoned By Its Mother, Raised By Zoo 'Moms'

Meet Coral, a 1-year-old female Bennett's wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus). She was raised by zoo staff after being rejected by her own mother. After 10 months of intensive hands-on care, Coral joins four other wallabies and 10 red kangaroos in the Australian Outback Adventure habitat.

"Coral required a lot of attention and care from a team of dedicated human 'mothers' and we're happy to report that she's thriving now as a result of their hard work," said Scott Carter, Detroit Zoological Society Chief Life Sciences Officer.

Coral's mother was rescued last year by the Detroit Zoological Society, seized from an animal wholesaler in Arlington, Texas and brought to the Detroit Zoo along with more than 1,000 other animals following the largest exotic animal raid in U.S. history. She abandoned her small joey not long after settling in Detroit, most likely due to the stress of their unsuitable living conditions in Texas and the move to Michigan.

In July of 2010, Coral was discovered by zookeepers on the ground in her mother's enclosure. The joey was estimated to be around 4 months old, weighed just 7 ounces and was the size of a rat. For more than two months, animal care staff hand-fed her specially formulated marsupial milk every two hours and took turns taking her home each night to continue her care and feeding. During the day, Coral's surrogates carried her in a fleece-lined sling that replicated her mother's pouch. A wallaby joey typically stays in its mother's pouch five to 11 months until it is fully developed.

For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit detroitzoo.org.