Wallaby rescue caught on Maricopa County Sheriff's deputy body cam

PHOENIX - We're used to extreme animal rescues in Arizona – from wild horses to owls and wild cats. But, this was a first for even the trained experts.

Imagine going for a walk in your neighborhood and tucked behind a tree is one of these guys in Arizona. A wallaby.

What would you do?

"The animal is scared, doesn't know where he is. You want to do this as smooth as possible and cause the least stress possible for the animal," said Lisa Buccigrosse with Farm Angels Sanctuary in Surprise.

They have all sorts of animals – many of them were saved from bad situations.

But a wallaby? That's a first.

"They're super sweet," Buccigrosse said.

She takes us into the pen with not just one but two.

They have long claws, long tails, and they're fast. Which made the rescue potentially dangerous.

The video shows a Maricopa County Sheriff's deputy wrapping a black plastic fence around the tree with the help of Buccigrosse.

They slowly coaxed the animal, named Walley, into the fence. At one point, the wallaby jumped high but was contained.

The owner also surrendered his other wallaby named Joey. Both are nearly a year old.

"They originated from the Czech Republic, shipped to Texas based on shipping labels on boxes, ended up in Arizona and ended up in an auction. The previous owners had the best interest in them getting them out of that auction," Buccigrosse said.

It's not illegal to own wallabies in Arizona, but they're tough pets.

Buccigrosse is happy they rescued these two and gave them a home and the proper veterinary care they need.

"They are wild animals and I think it's so important people realize it because for these little guys, they're under a year old and have already been in 5 different homes. That's a lot," she said.

Since the news has come out that these two are in Arizona, Buccigrosse says they've gotten phone calls from people offering to buy them.

She's not accepting the offers because this is their forever home.

A sweet update

How are the creatures doing a month after their rescue? 

Buccigrosse says the care for the brothers was more than she expected.

"Lots of tartar build-up. Missing teeth, broken teeth and Joey needs a tooth pulled.

As you know, these animals are high jumpers.

"The block wall is 6 feet tall. They can jump 6 feet or more. If they're scared, they can potentially jump higher," she explained.

She wants to expand their enclosure by 40 feet. That will cost money for the nonprofit that relies solely on donations. 

She's hoping for help to make these wallabies feel right at home in Arizona's new outback.

"Since these boys are going to reside here for their lives, I want to make sure they have additional space and be more like wallabies and have that running and jumping space to do so. But I want to make sure it's safe and secure for them," she said.

If you would like to reach out to support the nonprofit, you can donate here https://www.farmangelssanctuary.org/.