Orphaned Isle of Man baby wallaby dies in keeper's arms

'Josie' probably fell out of her mother's pouch when she was only two weeks old

An orphaned wallaby on the Isle of Man has died in her keeper's arms, despite being hand reared around the clock, an animal welfare organisation has said.

The Manx Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) took in the joey after she was found abandoned on a road in the north of the island.

The MSPCA's Jenny Corran said: "She died in my arms late on Tuesday night- she hadn't been 100% all day."

The joey, given the name Josie, had been starting to gain weight.

All of the Isle of Man's wallabies share the same ancestors - a pair which escaped from a wildlife park in the 1970s

"At that age, it's very precarious - they can go at the drop of a hat," Ms Corran added.

"Stress is a big factor in this - you see, we just don't know what happened to her when she fell out of her mother's pouch.

"While she had been drinking her milk she didn't want to eat her grapes all day so I had a feeling something wasn't quite right, it's very upsetting."

Carers at the MSPCA coordinated with experts at Blackpool Zoo to help keep Josie alive - she was fed with milk and grapes every three hours

Wallabies, native to Australia, thrive in the Curraghs, in the north of the island.

A pair escaped a wildlife park in the 1970s - and generations of breeding now mean there are about 120 on the island.

Josie, who was around three weeks old when she was brought to the centre, was given 24-hour care.

A backpack with a hot-water bottle inside had been used as a surrogate pouch.