Baby wallaby Jason takes to starring role at Telford garden centre

And the little wallaby has become the star attraction at a Telford garden centre.

Photographer Jason Garton has befriended the young critter and has been documenting his progress from the pouch to the outside world..

Jason, who lives in Talbot Close, Wrockwardine Wood, with his wife Melanie and two-year-old daughter, Abbie, said he has been working to build up trust with the wallaby mob over a four month period.

And it has enabled him to gain the access needed to take these stunning snaps at Lakeside Plant and Garden Centre in Telford.

He said: "Throughout this time I have been letting them get used to me the equipment and scent, building up the confidence and trust of the mob in-order to work closely to them .

"The joey is now four months old and fully away from its mother and starting to get used to people, gaining trust with human contact.

"I've had such a great opportunity to work so closely with the mob and many a time their inquisitive side comes out and whilst photographing the Jason and Sheila, his mum, the dad, Buck, a pure albino, would be nibble at my back or elbow, or one of the mob would be checking out the equipment.

"Sheila has built up such a bond with me she likes to even look at the photos on my camera, as though she is passing approval.

"It is such an honour and a surreal experience to be accepted by the family .

"I look forward to working with them in the future and keeping a photo journal for Lakeside of their development."

Little Jason has actually had to be given special care by staff at Lakeside, after mum Sheila released him on his own a little sooner than she should have.

Worker Ryan Jordan has even built a make-shift pouch out of his Lakeside body warmer in order to take care of the baby marsupial until he gets a little bigger.

Albinism is caused by the partial or complete lack of pigment the skin, hair and eyes and is a congenital disorder, explaining why many of the wallabies at Lakeside are albino.

Although albino wallabies are quite common in captivity, the chances of them being born in the wild is one in 10,000.

There are currently three albino wallabies at the garden centre in Priorslee, including little Jason.