Wallabies have supposedly been seen wandering around Nottinghamshire

Wallabies have supposedly been spotted in Nottinghamshire.

After an initial sighting in Calverton in July, numerous sightings of the Australian native marsupial have been reported around the county.

There have been up to 20 miles between sightings, leading the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust to believe that there is more than one wallaby in the county.

From previous sightings, Erin McDaid, who is from the trust, believes the marsupials to be red-necked wallabies.

He said: “We’re absolutely confident that they are red-necked wallabies, the most common species found here in the UK.

“There have been wild colonies in different parts of the UK for many years. There is a group on one of the islands on Loch Lomond, there are records of them on the edges of the Peak District towards Staffordshire, but there’s some records that that population has died out.

“But we’ve certainly not had any records of them in or close to Nottinghamshire, so it was quite a surprise when we got the record in July.”

The animals are naturally native to Australia and have most likely escaped from private collections or from other wildlife parks, BBC News reports.

Erin said: “There is a history, over the last 100 years or so, of escapes from private collections, zoos and wildlife parks.

“Since the first record in Nottinghamshire near Calverton, we’ve now got 10 separate records logged and mapped for Nottinghamshire alone.

“We’re pretty sure it’s more than one escape from private collections, because we’ve got records as far apart as Bottesford and Bilsthorpe, which is about 20 miles, or about 14,000 hops.”

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The escape of the wallabies may have potential averse effects on native wildlife, with Erin noting: “They could have a grazing impact competing with other wildlife such as hares, which are under pressure.”

However, the wildlife trust is more concerned for the welfare of the animals as they are not used to the Nottinghamshire environment.

 In regard to the wallabies venturing into urban areas, Erin told BBC News: “I wouldn’t consider them a threat. They’re much more likely to be frightened of people – although some of the ones over the Calverton area are obviously not bothered, because they’ve been seen happily hopping around!”

If people do happen to spot a wallaby around the Nottinghamshire area, they are encouraged to report the sighting to the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust along with any pictures and videos they have of them.

Erin McDaid said: “By giving as much detail as possible, we can then map the situation. And we’re also using the interest in the wallabies to encourage people to send in records of other wildlife – it’s what we call citizen science.”

Feature imaged via Pixabay

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