The owner of a wandering wallaby is offering a monetary reward for his safe return.
Joey, the wallaby, belongs to Seamus Walsh, owner of Waterford Castle. He went missing from Waterford Castle island two months ago and was believed dead, but has now been spotted in Faithlegg, Co. Waterford.
It is believed the young marsupial swam across the River Suir at low tide and has been roaming the Cheekpoint/Faihtlegg area. He was spotted this morning by children at Faithlegg National School.
#whereisjoey ???? In Faithlegg…another clip from a local family from this morning BEFORE Joey the wallaby hopped back into the ‘bush’. Searches are continuing. #waterfordwallaby pic.twitter.com/sqEkpjFt0O
— Damien Tiernan (@damienwlr) October 11, 2022
Joey's mother Sheila, has been in poor health since his departure. "Sheila went into a kind of hibernation, or hiding underneath the trees," Mr Walsh told WLR news. "It took us a while to find her but we couldn't find the baby. She went through a bit of depression when the baby disappeared because obviously one night he just swam across the river."
Mr Walsh has owned Sheila and Joey since his 21st birthday and brought them to Waterford Castle for their grass grazing habits. He told WLR News, "the reason I sourced wallabies is because they're actually golf course friendly. So, they eat grass to a similar level as to what Tom Mulally or Mick Cleere or any of the boys up there would cut it to. In Melbourne, if you go golfing, you're as likely to see a mob of kangaroos or wallabies as you are people on it."
Mr Walsh is keen to return Joey to his mother and has offered a reward of "a couple of hundred euros to anybody that can put it in a yard or anywhere we can catch it."
Wallabies are difficult to catch as they can jump up to six feet high. Anyone attempting to capture Joey is advised not to corner him, as wallabies can scratch and scrape when frightened.
Waterford Animal Welfare is attempting to assist in the capture of Joey. Anyone who has information relating to his capture can contact Andrew Quinn from Waterford Animal Welfare on 087 6551152.
