Social media lit up with jokes when a wallaby escaped from its enclosure in Langley last week, but for the animal’s owners the following two days were agonizing as they searched for their beloved pet.

Gracie, the six-year-old escapee, made it home safely after being discovered in a neighbour’s yard not far from her farm.

“I couldn’t work the first day, we probably did not sleep for two days,” said Janet Uebelhardt, who keeps numerous exotic animals on the rural Langley property she lives at with her husband Ruedi - including a family of five capybaras, camels, a trio of zebras, and a steer.

“We probably didn’t sleep for two days. Having her back we can’t thank everyone enough.”

The wallaby managed to elude officials and her owners for several days, until neighbor Shauna Stam spotted Gracie in her backyard Saturday morning.

"So we stopped here and then we could see it was in the far corner,” said Shauna Stam, pointing to the spot where she found the missing marsupial, prompting a call to Langley RCMP.

“And then the police officer, because he's braver than me, went and closed it,” she added, shutting the gate to the yard where they held Gracie until its owners arrived to collect her.

Gracie shares her enclosure with four other wallabies, and a pair of babies are due in the spring,

"Animals are in my blood – I’m a farmer by trade,” said Ruedi. “And now as I get older, well, I like a little bit different animals."

Wallaby

Gracie’s big adventure brought a media spotlight the Uebelhardts never expected or wanted, even drawing criticism from the Vancouver Humane Society who said animals like wallabies should be included on the province’s list of banned species.

In response, the Uebelhardts say they have the space and the experience to care for the animals.

"There's always going to be critics. For us, we have the 20 acres, we are in the back of the property. It's something that we've just done quietly,” said Janet Uebelhardt.

The family says most of the animals were purchased at auctions in Alberta or the United States, with some being born on the farm. All of the pets are in compliance with BC and Township of Langley Regulations.

Wallaby