Bizarre moment a WALLABY bounces along a main road in Devon – more than 10,000 miles from the marsupial’s native Tasmania
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A motorist has captured footage of the bizarre moment he saw a wallaby bouncing along a main road in Devon, more than 10,000 miles away from his home in Tasmania.
The driver spotted the marsupial near Crediton in south Devon and stopped to film his encounter.
Then last week, a video was sent to documentary filmmaker and naturalist Tim Whittard, who investigates reports of animals out of place.
He said: ‘It’s quite a remarkable sighting.
‘The witnesses do not wish to be named but were both completely stunned by the experience. The driver said she never expected to see a wallaby casually jumping across the road, and at first thought it was a baby kangaroo.
The wallaby was spotted on the side of the road near Crediton in south Devon. The marsupial is more than 16,000 kilometers from its home in Tasmania
Then last week, a video was sent to documentary filmmaker and naturalist Tim Whittard, who investigates reports of animals out of place. He said: ‘It’s quite a remarkable sighting’
The wallaby is more than 16,000 kilometers from its home port of Tasmania in Australia. The red-necked wallabies in Britain are believed to have escaped from private collections, although they may have been deliberately released
In January, another wallaby called Wes the Wallaby made headlines in Devon after he was reported missing from his home at Greendale Farm Shop near Exeter. The farm shop has offered £150 worth of vouchers for anyone who finds it
‘However, I am not at all surprised by the observation. The presence of red-necked wallabies in Britain has been quite well reported in recent years, and it is clear that we have a small breeding population of them here in Britain.’
In January, another wallaby in Devon made headlines after it was reported missing from its home at Greendale Farm Shop near Exeter.
Wes the wallaby, as he is known, was last seen jumping across the store’s car park and the store has offered £150 worth of shopping vouchers to anyone who found him.
The farm shop’s Facebook page said: ‘If anyone happens to see it, please let us know immediately.
‘Do not approach him, but keep an eye on him and call us immediately so that our team can arrive safely.’
MailOnline has contacted Greendale Farm Shop for the latest information on Wes’ whereabouts.
The red-necked wallabies in Britain are mostly native to Tasmania and are believed to have escaped from private collections, although they may have been deliberately released.
Their coat is gray/brown in color and as their name suggests, they have red fur around their shoulders and neck.
They are very similar in appearance to kangaroos, but much smaller in size.
Mr Whittard added: ‘They are said to be solitary animals, and they can be crepuscular or nocturnal, so they are likely to be more active at dawn and dusk, or during the night, which explains why the animal was seen in the dark .’