An extremely rare albino wallaby has been born at a wildlife enclosure at a North Manchester college.
A popular college for animal management students, Hopwood Hall College and University Centre in St Mary's Gate, Middleton has an on-site farm and animal enclosure which is home to 500 animals across 70-acres.
Alongside pigs, meerkats, snowy owls and horses, the wildlife area also houses nine grey Bennett’s wallabies, who are all looked after by the college’s students and trained staff.
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Earlier this year, wallaby Tolliver gave birth to a baby boy, who has since been named Casper due to his ‘ghostly’ white coat. Born hairless, staff at the college said that Casper’s distinctive colour has since started to come through while in his mother’s pouch.
Now just eight weeks out of the pouch, Casper is proving to be popular with the fellow wallabies at the Rochdale college, who are typically found in places such as the woodlands of Tasmania. In the right habitat, the wallabies can thrive and successfully breed.
Julia Heap, Principal and CEO of Hopwood Hall College and University Centre, said: “We’re delighted to see that Casper has settled in so well to our inclusive college community. He’s such a remarkable creature and has clearly had no problem warming the hearts of our staff and students.”
The college’s wildlife area provides people who want to work with animals with a one-of-a-kind training experience, including school leavers and adult learners who are studying Higher Education.
The college will soon open its doors to young people aged 13-16 when its popular Animal Academy returns later this month. The popular programme gives school-aged pupils the opportunity to get a one week’s valuable experience working with creatures such as Casper.
Julie added: “We couldn’t be more thrilled that future learners will have the opportunity to care for Casper and all the other unusual animals we home on campus.
“It’s particularly good timing for those young people who are planning to join us on our upcoming Animal Academy – we’re sure it’ll prove to be an unforgettable experience."
The Animal Academy runs for three consecutive weeks, starting from Monday, July 25. More information can be found here.
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