Against the odds: Missing wallaby believed to be alive, in Arlington Heights
Apr 10, 2015, 3:38 PM | Updated: 3:48 pm
Bella the wallaby may have been spotted Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Strom family)
(Photo courtesy Strom family)
A wallaby missing since January was spotted miles away from its home this week.
Gail Van Alstyne of Maple Valley received a call that her wallaby, Bella, was seen on the edge of a wooded area in Arlington Heights.
Bella went missing after getting spooked out of her kennel and hoping away from the Outback Kangaroo Farm near Arlington.
“We looked for her forever,” Van Alstyne said. “We never gave up, but as time went on the probability of her surviving was questionable.”
But hope of finding the wallaby has rekindled.
A woman who said she saw Bella on Wednesday behind her house made the call. The woman’s dogs alerted her to Bella’s presence.
“She said ‘I couldn’t believe my eyes,'” Van Alstyne said. “It was very emotional that she could still be alive.”
A live trap is now setup in hopes of catching Bella. A piece of Van Alstyne’s clothing – for the scent – and apple tree branches and bread were placed inside.
Van Alstyne said she checked the trap Thursday and found the bark of the tree branches were peeled off. That means Bella is around, but the trap failed. Adjustments were made to the trap to ensure the door would close.
Bella is about 2-and-a-half feet tall and weighed 35 pounds when she disappeared. She is “very friendly,” but Van Alstyne worries Bella might be shy, because she has been in the wild for so long.
Van Alstyne is asking people who live in the area and don’t have pets, to leave their fences open to allow Bella in. And she hopes the trap will soon do its job.
