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A wallaby, who recovered after being shot by thugs, has given birth and is now spearheading the Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation campaign to raise funds to help crisis-stricken wildlife in Australia.

The new mum, Wilding, who was nursed back to health and rehabilitated at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, and her baby are both healthy and thriving.

The joey will stay in Wilding’s warm, safe pouch for at least the next three months before venturing out into the world but they are regularly seen peeping out of the pouch and watching the world go by in the Wallaby Walkabout. A joey stays in the mother’s pouch until they can no longer fit but will only start standing on their own at around six months old.

“It is such a wonderful ending to her horrific story and everyone here is delighted with the news and their progress,” said Daniel Messer, Deputy Animal Team Leader. “We are all so happy to have a new addition at the park but the fact that Wilding is the mum after all that she has been through makes it that little bit extra special.”

Wilding was shot on a common in Berkshire, in August, by a group of teenagers who filmed the incident on a smart phone, she was wounded but managed to limp away.

Named Wilding after the Game of Thrones characters because of her resilient nature, she was given a new home at the Wallaby Walkabout at Yorkshire Wildlife Park where she slowly recovered her health and surprised rangers with the birth of her joey.

The joey has been named Aruma - the Aborigine word for happy.

Thousands of wallabies are among the estimated billion wild animals wiped out in the Australian bush fires. The Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation (YWPF), which is based at the park, has launched an appeal in Aruma’s name to raise funds for wildlife in Australia.

Despite the recent cooler conditions in parts of Australia, there are still many devastating bush fires burning across the continent, with reports now estimating that 800 million native animals, such as kangaroos, wallabies and koalas, have been affected by the disaster in New South Wales alone.

YWPF is proud to be working with the Zoo and Aquarium Association, Australasia (ZAA) to raise money for the wildlife affected in Australia. ZAA is formally coordinating a phased response for immediate support, the emerging needs of affected wildlife and also the longer-term requirements of wildlife and habitat rehabilitation, rewilding and population sustainability.