Rescued wallabies die at Vietnam center

La Van Toi, director of Hoang Lien Rescue and Conservation Center in Lao Cai Province, said one died on Dec. 8 and the other on Dec. 12. Both were males.

Their bodies have been frozen to be turned into samples to be kept at the center.

“They were having trouble breathing before they died. Maybe the cold weather did not suit them,” Toi said, adding that the other two were healthy.

The center has asked a company in HCMC to import grass from Australia, the wallabies’ favorite food, but it has not arrived yet.

The four wallabies were found by rangers in Cao Bang Province in early November. They were dropped along the Vietnam – China border by smugglers when discovered by authorities. Each wallaby weighed 8-10 kg and was in healthy condition.

Experts say the wallabies, also known as mini kangaroos, are originated from Australia.

Cao Bang authorities later transferred the wallabies to Hoang Lien center, which already had a barn and has renovated it to be suitable for the wallabies. The barn is about 200 square meters, half of which is outdoors, and the rest is an area with a roof.

The barn has added miniature landscapes and caves to help the wallabies have a place to shelter and avoid the cold.

But Lao Cai and other places in northern Vietnam have been hit by cold waves in recent weeks, with temperatures plunging to below 10 degrees Celsius on many occasions.