Wallaby mother and baby spotted in Cornwall

A male wallaby which escaped from a petting zoo two years ago found this female mate in the wild - which has now been spotted in a garden carrying their baby.

6:09PM BST 22 May 2009

Homeowner Brian Nash, 39, photographed the mother wallaby hopping around a neighbour's lawn with her joey tucked into her pouch.

It is believe the female mated with a male which escaped from a nearby farm in 2007 but was never re-captured.

Experts say wallabies are "renowned" for being able to find each other in the wild and it is thought the pair have begun breeding.

The male escaped two years ago from Trevathan Farm near St Endellion.

Owner Mark Symons said: "We lost a male wallaby two years ago and wondered what happened to him. They are very tough creatures and will certainly still be alive.

"He is a healthy boy and will eat anything and would be more than capable of surviving for years yet.

"The chances are he found a mate, a female that also escaped from somewhere. Wallabies find each other - they are renowned for it.

"This is almost certainly his mate and his little joey. Once they start breeding they don't stop. They'll be everywhere soon."

The female wallaby and baby were spotted by Brian, a lorry driver, outside his neighbour's home in St Breward in Cornwall, at 5.30am on Thursday.

Dad-of-one Brian said: "I was awake early and I looked out of the window and there she was just sat there on the grass.

"They are very distinctive so I knew straight away what it was. I went out to see what it was doing and I noticed it was a female and she had a baby in her pouch.

"She was just hopping about, enjoying the morning sun. The weird thing is she didn't seem overly concerned or nervous of me being there, and she even started following me at one stage.

"I watched her for a few minutes and then a cat jumped out from somewhere and scared her off.

"She bounced off over a hedge and was gone. I couldn't see her after that. It was very strange. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"I know these creatures are from Australia, so it seems very odd that one would turn up in my back yard."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/5368624/Wallaby-mother-and-baby-spotted-in-Cornwall.html

See also: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/8064473.stm

and http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/23/caught-on-the-hop-115875-21382042/