October 31, 2022 10.41 am This story is over 20 months old

Wildlife park near Boston urges caution over fireworks

A wallaby and her joey died a few years ago

A wildlife park near Boston is urging caution over fireworks after a wallaby and her joey sadly died in a fireworks-related incident a few years ago.

A female wallaby named Sheila and the baby joey in her pouch at Ark Wildlife Park & Exotic Animal Sanctuary suffered fright from fireworks on New Year’s Eve 2020 and were unable to survive.

The park’s co-owner Jamie Mintram told BBC East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire: “Unfortunately we’ve not had a great experience with fireworks in the past. A couple of years ago over New Year’s Eve there were fireworks being let off very close to this site, in fact we even found some rocket casings here in this enclosure.

Female wallaby Sheila and the joey in her pouch sadly died. | Photo: ARK Wildlife Park & Exotic Animal Sanctuary

“Unfortunately that morning we also found Sheila, one of our wallabies, in the night had spooked, run into the fence and very sadly had broken her neck. It was a double tragedy because upon inspection she was also carrying a joey in the pouch and at that age he wasn’t able to survive either I’m afraid.”

He added: “Please, if there’s animals nearby, please give them consideration over this fireworks night and New Year’s Eve as well because it can have devastating effects on the animals.”

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