'Extinct' wallaby goes back on show

A wallaby species classed as extinct in the Australian wild until recently has been reintroduced and put back on public show.

The mainland tammar wallaby was saved because a small number of the marsupials were taken to New Zealand more than 150 years ago by former South Australian governor George Grey.

Some of the species were returned to Australia nearly a decade ago and there has been a successful breeding program since at Monarto open range zoo south-east of Adelaide.

Now some of the wallabies have been put on public show at Warrawong Sanctuary in the Adelaide Hills.

Brenton James of the sanctuary says their return to public view is welcome.

"It's really important for these mainlands to be here - they're a local species," he said.

"These guys have come back from the edge of extinction and [it's] extremely fortunate that they were in a island on New Zealand. That's a one-in-a-million chance."

Mick Post also works at Warrawong and is pleased to see the tammar wallabies back on show.

"The breeding program's been really successful. It started back in 2003 and we've done four releases now down to Innes National Park [on Yorke Peninsula in South Australia] ... maybe about 100 to 120 animals down in the wild," he said.

"The population seems to be sustaining itself quite well for the area it's in, so it may well be at the amount of animals we want [there]."

Species saved from extinction

South Australia's mainland tammar wallaby is listed as "extinct in the wild" under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
It was driven to extinction on the mainland due to land clearance and hunting by foxes and cats.
But a population had been taken to Kawau Island in New Zealand in the 1800s. Although the island population is considered a pest species in New Zealand, it provided a source of animals for reintroduction to their native Australian habitat.
Authorities brought 85 tammar wallabies from New Zealand to Monarto Zoo in South Australia in 2003-04.
Monarto Zoo first provided quarantine for the mainland tammar wallabies brought to Australia, then bred the animals for release into the wild at Innes National Park on Yorke Peninsula.
- Information from Zoos SA

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-14/wallabies-mainland-tammar-warrawong/3828346

Hunting A Bushy-Tailed Killer

We shouldn't have laughed, but we did and it was wrong, what with the plight of the victims. But…

At 4.16pm, Scotland Yard put out an appeal for help in finding the killers of three wallabies at an animal park in West London.

Acting Detective Inspector Steve Mayes was suitably grim: "These sorts of incidents are very unusual and we are determined to find the person or people responsible. Our wildlife team is investigating."

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz could barely contain his anger: "I am utterly disgusted that someone has broken into the park for a second time and killed these gentle animals. Three new wallabies were brought in this week to keep 'Rolph' company after his companion died in the previous attack. It's awful to think that within days of arriving in their new enclosure, they have been attacked.

“We are installing CCTV at the site and in the meantime we have introduced additional overnight security patrols. The surviving wallabies are being moved to an alternative location overnight to keep them safe."

In less than an hour a new message from my friends at the Yard's press bureau: "It might have been foxes."

So now they are hunting a red-haired suspect with a long nose and a bushy tail, but isn't that illegal?

http://blogs.news.sky.com/lifeofcrime/Post%3afac5b93f-bf07-4788-9397-919d86cec165

'Garden wallaby' caught in Lyme Regis town centre

Off-duty firefighter Virgil Turner said he
grabbed the animal's legs and tail

19 May 2011

A wallaby, thought to be the same animal seen in a woman's Dorset garden earlier in the week, has been caught.

Off-duty firefighter Virgil Turner rugby-tackled the marsupial to the ground in Lyme Regis town centre.

Jan Cooper had filmed a wallaby hopping around her garden in Blue Waters Drive, Lyme Regis, on Tuesday morning, before it escaped over her fence.

Mr Turner said the wallaby, which has been taken to an animal park in Exminster, Devon, "kicked a bit".

The 45-year-old added: "My friend called me and he's a trickster so I thought it was a wind up. But I could hear he was serious.
'Subdued it'

"When I got there the wallaby was cornered by a couple of council workers and a local woman - but it could have got away still.

"It had already had a couple of near misses with cars and I didn't want a serious car accident on my hands.

"I must admit I was wary because I'd heard they can give quite a kick and can be very strong.

"But I used to play a bit of rugby so I just rugby tackled it - I grabbed its legs and tail and we managed to get a blanket over it which subdued it and then get it into a cage.

"I got a few scrapes and scratches from the concrete but the wallaby was fine - it was very calm really.

"It kicked a bit but totally calmed down when the blanket went on."

Eyewitness John King, who praised Mr Turner, said: "The wallaby had already caused a few problems hopping across roads in the town.

"It was bizarre really - not something you see every day in Lyme Regis."

The RSPCA, which had told the public not to approach the animal, was also called to the scene to help.

Mrs Cooper, who filmed the animal at her home on Tuesday, said: "I am just so happy it has been found safe.

"I've been told it has been taken to a sanctuary where there are another 14 wallabies so it should have a good time."

It is unclear where the animal came from but the RSPCA said a number of them live wild in the UK.

A spokeswoman said there had not been any reports of escaped animals in the area.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-13455634
(Submitted by Liz R)

Wallaby filmed in Dorset woman's garden

17 May 2011

A wallaby has been filmed hopping around a garden in Dorset before it escaped over a neighbouring fence.

Jan Cooper said she was having a coffee when she spotted the marsupial at her home in Blue Waters Drive, Lyme Regis, just after 0700 BST.

She called the RSPCA but the wallaby fled after about 90 minutes.

It is unclear where the animal came from but the RSPCA said a number of them live wild in the UK. The charity told people not to approach the animal.

Mrs Cooper said: "I was having a coffee and first saw a fox and texted my husband, which he wasn't that impressed by, then five minutes later I texted him to say we had a wallaby bounding around.

'Call helpline'

"It was a big shock, I didn't know how close to get to it but it seemed happy enough.

"It looked healthy and cared for. A policeman arrived but the animal jumped over the fence before the RSPCA arrived and we haven't seen it since."

Dorset Police said a search was carried out but nothing was found.

The RSPCA said one of its officers was called to the incident but the animal had fled.

A spokeswoman said there has not been any reports of escaped animals in the area.

She added: "We've spoken to an expert and apparently there are a number of wallabies which live wild in the UK.

"If anyone sees it we would urge them to call our helpline on 0300 123 4999.

"We urge people not to approach the animal or touch it, not because it will necessarily become violent, but you may do it more harm than good."

See video at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13433839
(Submitted by Joe DaStudd)

See also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13436208
(Submitted by Max Blake)

It's all white to be a rare sight in the bush

A standout ... one of the albino wallaroos that has been spotted at Wolgan Valley
in the Blue Mountains. Photo: Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa

THAT is not an escaped lab mouse on steroids peering through the grass of the Wolgan conservation area in the Blue Mountains.

Nor is it a giant white rabbit on its way to a tea party.

It is, in fact, a rare albino wallaroo, one of three that have been delighting staff and visitors at the Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa.

"We've had sightings of one mature albino wallaroo on the property since opening 18 months ago, but to have two more spotted on the property is incredibly rare and exciting for us and our guests," the resort's general manager Joost Heymeijer said.

The resort's field guides have noticed the albino wallaroos are more timid and less trusting of humans than their grey brothers and sisters, and wait until it is darker to come out to feed.

The education program co-ordinator at Featherdale Wildlife Park in Doonside, Peter Spradbrow, said albinism is a rare condition where the skin, hair and eyes lack the pigment that gives them colour.

It is observed across many animal species, but in the wild it is difficult for an albino creature to reach adulthood.

''Albino animals are particularly at risk of predation because they stand out from their environment,'' Mr Spradbrow said.

And, to make matters worse, they suffer from skin cancers and other skin diseases because they lack the pigment which protects them from UV radiation.

Albinism often shows up when both parents pass on the albinism gene. Some individuals who look normal carry the gene but are not albino.

Featherdale has albino laughing kookaburras, blue-tongue lizards, common wallaroos and tammar wallabies. ''The weirdest example of an albino that I have ever seen is an albino red-bellied black-snake,'' Mr Spradbrow said.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/its-all-white-to-be-a-rare-sight-in-the-bush-20110416-1dio1.html
(Via Chad Arment)

Kangaroos, wallabies, black panthers and even Bigfoot - could mystery of Cannock Chase stretch back to 1800s?

Mar 10 2011 by Charlotte Lilley

For decades, there have been reports of big cats in the Cannock Chase area.

There have also been sightings of kangaroos, wallabies and even Bigfoot. Strange noises in the night, including piercing howls, and mysterious paw prints in the snow have only created further speculation that something is lurking in this little corner of Staffordshire.

However, one must question where these animals originated from.

During the late 1800s, a resident doctor, renowned zoologist and recognised expert on big cats, lived in Cannock and housed a whole host of animals in his own back garden that stood on the grounds of Cannock’s police station. Dr John Butter was well known for his ‘lair of beasts’ which included giant snakes, elephants, emus, ostriches, a wild ocelot and even a life-sized giraffe which, some neighbours said, regularly peered at them over the garden fence. An obscure character, Butter established a wide reputation. He often made house calls to his patients whilst being carted around the town by a zebra. For those who made it to his surgery, they were greeted in the waiting room by his pet monkey, Antony.

But what became of these animals? Are these the ancestors of the strange beasts spotted on Cannock Chase?

The Boer War showed just how respected Butter was, as the whole town gathered to bid him farewell when he went to do battle. However, it is a well-known fact that during this time, some of his creatures simply disappeared from his home. Were they stolen or did they escape?

At the outbreak of the First World War, further animals appear to have vanished as food supplies became rationed. No records can be found of them being donated to local zoos, to a travelling circus or even being put to sleep. Could it be that the doctor himself released his beloved animals into the wild during the night when nobody was watching? And what became of Antony the monkey? No-one knows.

Perhaps what residents have been witnessing are descendants of the animals that Dr Butter cared for. However, it is also possible the animals found new homes and no documentation of the transactions were ever recorded.

Whatever happened to Butter’s magnificent menagerie, we will never know. The doctor died in April 1920 having suffered from a mystery illness for ten days. Whether he released his creatures into the wild or not, remains a mystery. He took his secrets to the grave.

One thing is for sure - almost 100 years ago, exceptional animals were kept not too far from Cannock Chase, a place where there have been countless reports and sightings of animals and strange creatures not at all native to Britain.

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2011/03/10/kangaroos-wallabies-black-panthers-and-even-bigfoot-could-mystery-of-cannock-chase-stretch-back-to-1800s-66331-28312945/

Disco 'wallaby'

Dancefloor marsupial cruelty investigated



Police in the Irish Republic are investigating reports that a wallaby or baby kangaroo was released onto the dancefloor of a Dublin hotel at the weekend.

The incident took place during a birthday party held at the Clarion Hotel in Liffey Valley on Saturday.

The animal was released when a DJ played the theme tune to the television programme Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.

There are reports it later died, although these have not been confirmed.

Footage of the incident was posted on Facebook but has since been removed.

The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) said it had received five complaints including one from a person who claimed to be at the party.

"We know that the animal was videoed, and you can imagine the fear and stress it must have felt. It is completely unacceptable that an animal would be used in this way," the society's Orla Aungier said.

"This bizarre and depraved series of events demonstrates that there are people in our society who need to be policed."

She said she believed the animal was a wallaby, rather than a kangaroo.

"We have also been told that after the party, the animal had died. That is only alleged, but the most important thing for us is to find out where the animal is and if it is ok," she added.

The Clarion's general manager, Garret Marrinan, said the hotel had passed on CCTV footage to the Garda (Irish police).

"We had a 30th birthday here in the hotel with between 150 and 200 guests and at about 11pm at night the duty manager noticed a group of people hovering on the dance floor," he told the Irish Times.

"He went to investigate and noticed some kind of a strange animal coming out of a box and shortly after going back into it.

"He wasn't sure what it was exactly but, because we have a no pets policy in the hotel, [he] called security who forced the people who brought the box in to take it out of the hotel," he added.

Mr Marrinan said the hotel did not know the animal was a wallaby or kangaroo until they were contacted by police on Tuesday. He said they were "offering every assistance possible" to officers.

"We're horrified by this," he said.

"Absolutely nothing like this has happened before, either here or at other Clarion hotels, and this is something we don't want to be associated with."

A Garda spokesman would only say the incident was under investigation.

However, a Garda source quoted by the Press Association said: "We believe that it was hired and brought to the party for around 10 minutes.

"We are investigating an allegation that it was given alcohol but there is no evidence of that either at this stage.

"After the CCTV footage, no one knows what happened, good, bad or indifferent."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11573737

Wallabies and Bats Harbor "Fossil" Genes from the Most Deadly Family of Human Viruses

Wallabies and Bats Harbor "Fossil" Genes from the Most Deadly Family of Human Viruses
Research reveals potential reservoir species, new mechanism for how mammals acquire genes

Release Date: June 28, 2010

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Modern marsupials may be popular animals at the zoo and in children's books, but new findings by University at Buffalo biologists reveal that they harbor a "fossil" copy of a gene that codes for filoviruses, which cause Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fevers and are the most lethal viruses known to humans.

Published this week in the online journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, the paper ("Filoviruses are ancient and integrated into mammalian genomes") demonstrates for the first time that mammals have harbored filoviruses for at least tens of millions of years, in contrast to the existing estimate of a few thousand.

It suggests that these species, which maintain a filovirus infection without negative health consequences, could have selectively maintained these so-called "fossil" genes as a genetic defense.

The work has important implications for the development of potential human vaccines, as well as for the modeling of disease outbreaks and the discovery of emerging diseases, including new filoviruses.

"This paper identifies the first captured 'fossil' copies of filovirus-like genes in mammalian genomes," says Derek J. Taylor, PhD, associate professor of biological sciences in the UB College of Arts and Sciences and co-author. "Our results confirm for the first time that several groups of mammals, including groups such as marsupials that never colonized Africa, have had an association with filoviruses."

The UB co-authors say that if the rarely captured genes represent antiviral defenses or genomic scars from persistent infections, then the work opens up new possibilities for identifying reservoir species for filoviruses, which harbor the virus but remain asymptomatic.

"The reservoir for filovirus has remained a huge mystery," says Jeremy A. Bruenn, PhD, UB professor of biological sciences and co-author. "We need to identify it because once a filovirus hits humans, it can be deadly."

When the UB researchers studied samples from the fur of a wallaby at the Buffalo Zoo and a brown bat caught on the UB campus, they found that the genomes of both animals as well as some other small mammals contain "fossil" copies of the gene for these deadly viruses, and thus could be candidate reservoir species for them.

"Who knew that the bats in the attic as well as modern marsupials harbored fossil gene copies of the group of viruses that is most lethal to humans," asks Taylor.

The research also demonstrates a new mechanism by which different species of mammals can acquire genes, through non-retroviral integrated RNA viruses, which the UB scientists had previously identified in eukaryotes but was unknown in mammals.

The UB scientists note that it is well-known that RNA retroviruses, like HIV-AIDS, can be integrated into mammal genomes.

"But because filoviruses infect only the cytoplasm of cells and not the nucleus and because they have no means of making DNA copies that might be integrated into the genome -- as retroviruses do -- it was never thought gene transfer could occur between non-retroviral RNA viruses and hosts," says Bruenn. "This paper shows that it does and it may prove to be a far more general phenomenon than is currently known."

The research also reveals that existing estimates that filoviruses originated in mammals a few thousand years ago were way off the mark.

"Our findings demonstrate that filoviruses are, at a minimum, between 10 million and 24 million years old, and probably much older," says Taylor. "Instead of having evolved during the rise of agriculture, they more likely evolved during the rise of mammals."

In addition to Bruenn and Taylor, Robert W. Leach, scientific programmer at the Center for Computational Research in UB's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, is a co-author on the paper.

The authors are actively involved with the Molecular Recognition in Biological Systems and Bioinformatics strategic strength identified as part of the UB2020 strategic planning process.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.

http://www.buffalo.edu/news/11494

Wallabies set up home in Cornwall

14 June 2010

A family of wallabies has successfully made a home in the wild in Cornwall where they survived the British winter.

There have been several recent sightings of a male, a female and a baby in the St Breward area, reports the Daily Telegraph.

And a motorist recent saw, and photographed, one wallaby near a lane in St Breward.

The animal seen by the driver is thought to be a male which escaped from a farm three years ago. He appears to have found another escaped female, who was later pictured with a joey in her pouch.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said the animal charity is often called to capture escaped wallabies, but it is rarer to find examples of them living in the wild in Britain.

She said: "Wallabies are quite hardy so they do survive quite well. They are breeding as well so they have been doing fine. It has been going on for several years and they have survived some pretty cold winters.

"There are definitely colonies across the country so people should not be surprised if they have seen them."

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Wallabies_set_up_home_in_Cornwall

See also: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7825467/Wallaby-colony-living-in-Cornwall.html
And: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1286256/Wild-wallaby-shocks-residents-hopping-Cornwall.html (with photos)

New species discovered in Indonesian mountain region

From the Bloomington (IN) Herald Times: May 18, 2010
By Randolph E. Schmid Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Finding a new animal species is a special moment for scientists and even better when one hops into their mountain camp and volunteers to be discovered.

An international team of researchers was camping in the Foja mountains of Indonesia when herpetologist Paul Oliver spied a frog sitting on a bag of rice in the campsite.

On closer look it turned out to be a previously unknown type of long-nosed frog. The scientists dubbed it Pinocchio. When the frog is calling, its nose points upward, but it deflates when the animal is less active.

"We were sitting around eating lunch," recalled Smithsonian ornithologist Chris Milensky. Oliver "looked down and there's this little frog on a rice sack, and he managed to grab the thing."

"Herpetologists (experts in snakes, lizards etc.) have good reflexes," Milensky observed. "He also caught a gecko; he managed to just jump and grab the thing" off a tree.

And mister long nose isn't all they found.

Overcoming torrential rain and floods, the researchers report finding the smallest kangaroo yet, a big woolly rat, a three-toned pigeon and a gargoyle-like, bent-toed gecko with yellow eyes.

The Foja Mountains are in the western side of the island of New Guinea, a part of Indonesia that has been little visited by scientists over the years.

So the environmental group Conservation International, with the support of the National Geographic Society and Smithsonian Institution, began investigating the area.

The results of their 2008 expedition were announced Monday.

Milensky said the expedition was incredibly difficult.

"It was extremely wet, heavy downpours every day," he said. "The camp just turned into a complete mud bog."

Kristofer M. Helgen, curator of mammals at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, said one of the most amazing animals the researchers observed was the rare golden-mantled tree kangaroo.

Most people think of kangaroos as creatures that live on the flatlands of Australia, he said, but this one has adapted to forest life.

"It can jump into a tree and scurry right up it," Helgen said. "But on the ground it hops around like any kangaroo."

While that kangaroo had been observed, rarely, before, Helgen also discovered what may be the smallest known member of the kangaroo family, a tiny wallaby that also has adapted to forest life.

New Guinea and Australia were once connected and so have similar life forms, but they have adapted differently in each place, he explained.

The researchers say another big surprise was made by ornithologist Neville Kemp who spotted a pair of new imperial pigeons that have feathers in different parts of their body that appear rusty, whitish and gray. Other finds included a dozen new insects.

The research, which also included Indonesian scientists, was part of Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Program, in which teams come together to spend three or four weeks making surveys of the biology of selected areas.

A feature on this expedition appears in the June issue of National Geographic magazine.

"While animals and plants are being wiped out across the globe at a pace never seen in millions of years, the discovery of these absolutely incredible forms of life is much needed positive news," Bruce Beehler, a senior research scientist at CI and participant on the expedition, said in a statement.

"Places like these represent a healthy future for all of us and show that it is not too late to stop the current species extinction crisis," he said.

Photos: http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//100517/ids_photos_wl/r3095475424.jpg/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100517/ap_on_sc/us_sci_new_species_4

Cat’s all Folks

By NEIL SYSON
Published: 03 Apr 2010



BIG cats like the Beast of Bodmin are NOT prowling Britain's countryside, it was officially declared yesterday.

A ten-year probe funded by taxpayers into sightings up and down the land astonishingly concluded the creatures simply do not exist. Experts at Natural England - the Government's environmental watchdog - were unable to explain why people in EVERY county from Cornwall to Caithnesss claim to have seen them in the wild.

But after following up hundreds of reports - including "paw prints" - not a whisker of concrete evidence was found.

Investigators decreed: "None of the sightings of the big cats has ever been confirmed." The furtive felines had been thought by some experts to be descended from cougars and pumas that fled captivity. Natural England said: "From time to time big cats do escape from zoos and other collections and are usually recaptured very quickly. We are confident there are no breeding populations of big cats in this country.

"It is very unlikely that there are any big cats at large." That includes the mysterious beast feared to stalk Cornwall's Bodmin Moor preying on sheep.

A wallaroo - a kind of kangaroo - was among sightings of other exotic species scoffed at by the investigators. Last night expert Trevor Beer, of Barnstaple, Devon, insisted: "The big cats ARE out there. Natural England are just making fools of themselves."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2918837/Official-No-big-cats-in-the-UK.html#ixzz0k8Nvr1QE

Britain's 'big cat X files' revealed

There have been more than 100 sightings of exotic and unidentified animals in England since 2005, according to a dossier compiled by Natural England.

By Jasper Copping
Published: 9:00PM GMT 06 Mar 2010

They are the stuff of rural legend – but for decades, alleged sightings of big cats stalking the British countryside have been dismissed as hoax or fantasy.

Yet now the head of a Government agency responsible for investigating such incidents has declared that he believes these mysterious creatures do indeed exist.

His comments follow the release of a dossier by Natural England which lists more than 100 sightings of exotic, non-native and unidentified animals in England since 2005.

Of these, 38 were "big cats". In some cases, members of the public claimed to have seen the creature itself; on other occasions, they reported finding farm or wild animals which had been attacked or killed.

The documents – Britain's "big cats X Files" – show the extent to which Natural England takes the reports seriously.

The agency has launched several investigations, involving site visits by officials and the drafting in of specialist vets to examine injuries.

Big cat sightings have been reported all over England. In some areas they have spawned legends, such as the so-called Beast of Bodmin in the south west.

The investigations have yet to find conclusive proof of the presence of the mysterious creatures but, asked about their existence, Charlie Wilson, who coordinates reports for the Government agency, said: "The evidence is there that there are the odd, escaped, released dumped animals occurring in the wild every now and then.

"We know that. I am quite prepared to believe that. I don't think there are any breeding populations, however.

"If they are there, the numbers are so small that any risk of people encountering them is pretty small and any risks they present are somewhere approaching zero."

He added: "All reports are logged in our system. If there is only a sighting, then there is not usually much more than can be done to follow it up.

"But we are able to do so if there is something a bit more tangible that we could look at, like the carcases of other animals, or tracks. There are reports that turn out to be plausible."

One theory is that several large species, such as panthers, leopards and lynx, were deliberately released into the wild by their owners in the 1970s after the introduction of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, which placed restrictions on the keeping of certain species.

In one "big cat" investigation, a carcase from an ostrich farm in Cambridgeshire was examined and the site was monitored.

In another, in Surrey, a roe deer was dragged over two fences, had its carcase eviscerated and was left with puncture marks. Natural England was informed by police and its officials studied photographs.

In Lincolnshire, a farmer found several of his sheep killed and eaten. On some of the carcases only the skull and spine were left. The farmer said the attack was down to a big cat and officials visited the site. Photos of the carcases were taken.

In another case, an injured horse was found in a field in Warwickshire, with claw marks scratched in it. In a further report, officials studied photographs of dead foxes, believed to have been scavenged by a big cat in Suffolk.

One big cat, spotted by a roadside between the villages of Mark and Burtle, in Somerset, was said to be as tall as a car. In another sighting in the same county, a motorist on the M5 reported seeing a big cat in an adjacent field.

While many of the investigations have been "inconclusive", others have been resolved. A supposed big cat seen in Norfolk, for instance, turned out to be a badger.

Danny Bamping, from the British Big Cats Society, said the real number of sightings would be even higher.

"Believing in big cats is not like believing in the Loch Ness monster," he said. "There is absolutely no doubt that they are out there.

"The most credible reports are from farmers, and those guys know their stuff. We have also had policemen reporting sightings to us. For every report, there are going to be others who don't bother to report it."

As well as the big cats, the Natural England dossier details other investigations which, in some cases, have found evidence of the presence of exotic species at large.

For instance, raccoon dogs – native to Asia and Russia – were confirmed as living in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire, while Siberian chipmunks, which can carry fatal diseases, have also been confirmed in Berkshire, Wiltshire and Cheshire.

Dead raccoons have been found in Kent and Hampshire, while there has also been a credible – though inconclusive – report of a living one in Surrey.

A snapping turtle, two feet long and 10 to 12 inches wide, was also discovered in Kent. The dossier states that the species "can be dangerous" and says that the animal needed trapping and destroying.

Fourteen coypus were also reported. The large South American rodent was brought to the UK by fur farmers in the 1930s, but some escaped and established wild populations.

These were thought to have been eradicated following a large-scale trapping exercise.

The new sightings could suggest that some remain at large, although none were proved conclusively.

A sighting of a wallaroo – an Australian animal which is smaller than a kangaroo but larger than a wallaby – living in Cornwall was taken as being credible, although not proven.

Other unconfirmed sightings include more raccoons and raccoon dogs, a wolf in Surrey, and a prairie dog in Buckinghamshire.

Twenty-eight of the sightings involved wild boar, which have escaped from farms and become established in some parts of the country in recent years. Sightings in other areas are still closely monitored.

The information was disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information request by The Sunday Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7384536/Britains-big-cat-X-files-revealed.html
(Submitted by Liz R)

Wallaby disrupts motorway traffic

18 January 2010, 9:07

Motorway traffic was brought to a standstill in Blackpool - as police attempted to catch an escaped wallaby.

The privately-owned marsupial was seen bouncing down a road near to Junction 4 of the M55, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Police slowed traffic while RSPCA inspectors attempted to catch the animal. A Lancashire Police helicopter was also at the scene.

The drama began when several motorists called 999. It ended four hours later when a vet was drafted in from Blackpool Zoo to sedate the wallaby with a tranquilliser dart.

The animal, which was cornered by police in a garden, is now safely back with its owner.

Insp Alistair Campbell said: "Eventually we were able to usher the wallaby away from the M55.

"It's fair enough to say we've never had a situation like this before. We had to consult the RSPCA to help us work out how to capture the wallaby."

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/wallaby_disrupts_motorway_traffic

Wallaby mauls girl in surprise attack

By Laura Stace, News Limited newspapers
November 20, 2009

• Girl attacked by wallaby
• Wallaby had girls head in mouth
• Girl an 'animal lover'

A TWO-year-old girl has been savagely attacked by a wallaby at White Rock.

The Cairns Post reports Tamar Hutchins and her daughter Susan were feeding their horses on a property they rent when the wallaby sprang from the bushes and attacked late on Tuesday.

"It had her head in its mouth and was slamming its back legs into her repeatedly," Ms Hutchins said.

"If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have ever believed it."

Ms Hutchins said her daughter was an animal lover but she feared the incident would change that.

"I have taken her back to the spot where the attack happened, and she stayed really close to me," she said.

Ms Hutchins said the wounds on her daughter’s body covered the left side of her body and face.

"We are so lucky the wallaby missed her eye or did not break her ribs," she said.

A nine-year-old boy was attacked by a metre-tall wallaby in September last year, sparking calls for the animals to be culled to protect residents.

Read more on the savage wallaby attack at the The Cairns Post.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26375384-421,00.html

(Submitted by Peter)

Exploring Tropical Creatures

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Talk show Zoologist Jarod Miller shows Erica Hill and Jeff Glor animals from tropical locations including A Red-necked Wallaby, a Laughing Kookaburra, Great Tenrecs and a Monocled Cobra.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5361081n

Cyprus zoo welcomes rare albino wallaby

Two-month old finally emerges form mother's pouch

Paphos, Cyprus — Reuters Life!
Thursday, Jul. 30, 2009 05:37PM EDT

A rare albino wallaby has been born in captivity in Cyprus, becoming the star attraction at a private zoo.

The two-month old marsupial has only just emerged from its mother's pouch, standing about 40 cm tall and stark white among a mob of eight larger brown wallabies.

“It was quite timid at first and kept jumping back into the pouch, but it seems to be enjoying the attention today,” said Christos Christoforou, owner of the Paphos Bird and Animal Park.

Wallabies are members of the kangaroo family and can live up to about nine years in the wild. They are smaller than their cousins, and can weigh up to 24 kg. They are native to Australia.

Albinism is a genetic condition caused by a lack of the melanin pigment, which gives colour to eyes, hair and skin.

After giving visitors the runaround when it refused to leave its mothers pouch on Wednesday, the mammal appeared to relish the attention on Thursday, hopping around an enclosure under an ancient carob tree.

The zoo has not thought of a name yet. “We have not been able to determine its sex, it's too early,” said Mr. Christoforou. “It's probably a boy.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/cyprus-zoo-welcomes-rare-albino-wallaby/article1236696/

Orphaned albino wallaby needs a name

Keepers at Seaview Wildlife Encounter want name suggestions for the six-month-old joey, whose mum Sheila has died

by: Claire Burke
15 July 2009

THIS fluffy little baby albino wallaby is being looked after by keepers after his mum Sheila died earlier this month.

Since the death of his 20-year-old mother on 4 July, the joey has been fed by a syringe by staff at Seaview Wildlife Encounter in the Isle of Wight.

Despite his recent tragedy, the young wallaby is doing well and is thriving on extra cuddles from the keepers.

Up to eight carers are taking it in turns to look after the orphaned six-month old.

During the day he hops around with the other joeys in the wallaby group, enjoying the summer sunshine and grazing on grass.

And at night he sleeps in a backpack lined with a fleece to recreate his mum’s cosy pouch.

The joey, one of only two albino wallabies at the centre, will be reintroduced to the pack in a few short weeks and is already a hit with the park's visitors.

The animal hasn't been named yet, and staff are inviting members of the public to put forward some ideas.

http://www.thelondonpaper.com/thelondonpaper/weird/odd-news/orphaned-little-albino-wallaby-looked-after-by-keepers

Wallaby found wandering in field

18:57 GMT, Friday, 12 June 2009 19:57 UK

A wallaby has been captured on camera in a field in south Devon.

David Evans and his family saw the marsupial in Teignmouth. Mr Evans managed to get several photographs of the animal before it hopped away.

He said: "We went out and, sure enough, wandering around in a field until it got dark there was this wallaby."

It is the second sighting of such a creature in south west England in two months, after a wallaby and a baby joey were seen in Cornwall in May.

See video footage at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/8098242.stm

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/

Meet the lawnmower on legs: Why wallabies are taking over England's gardens in leaps and bounds

By Marcus Dunk
Last updated at 2:04 AM on 15th May 2009

A stunning spring day in Norfolk and the green countryside resembles a scene on a picture postcard.

Yet out here, in this large field on the outskirts of the village of Tacolneston, there is something lurking in the long grass that seems somewhat out of place in such a quintessentially English scene.

'They're quite shy, so we'll have to hang back and keep quiet,' says Quintin Spratt, a 60-year-old farmer, as he makes his way across the field. 'Right, here they come!'

Suddenly, an explosion of movement comes bounding past us and, although we know what to expect, it is still a surprise to see a group of wallabies leaping through the air. Wallabies? Here, in England?

Yet, as disorientating as it is to see these Australian icons looking very much at home in an English field, what is more surprising is that this group is merely an advance party in what looks set to become an invasion.

On farms and in fields and gardens across the countryside, the small marsupials are increasingly taking the place of sheep, pigs and horses as low-maintenance lawnmowers.

As herbivores who spend most of their days eating grass, wallabies are the perfect animal for anybody with a bit of grassy land that needs clipping.

'I have a waiting list for them,' says Spratt, who has 20 wallabies and specialises in breeding rare albinos. 'I'm just trying to build up my stock at the moment, but it takes time as they breed only once a year.'

It is not difficult to see why these furry creatures have become so popular. Looking like a cross between a giant mouse and a fluffy rabbit, they tick all the cute boxes and have temperaments to match.

'They are amiable creatures, they don't make any noise and they're really quite hearty,' says Spratt.

'They're virtually adapted to this country now and they don't have any problem with the winters. And, of course, they can eat a lot of grass.

'So, if you've got the space, wallabies are perfect - and kids love them, too.'

Around £150 will get you a male wallaby, while females start at £600. Only one male is needed to breed with up to 25 females ('it's a pretty good life if you're the chosen male,' says Spratt).

The rarer albino females with pink eyes and fluffy white fur sell for around £1,000, and are proving popular in France and the Netherlands.

Although in their native Australia some species can grow to a height of 6ft, most are around two to three feet high and have a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years.

However, anybody with just a back garden hoping to keep a wallaby as a pet would be advised to think again.

As they're a group animal, most breeders will sell them only in pairs - 'it would be cruel on the animal to isolate it' says Spratt - and only to people who have plently of enclosed space.

'You need at least half an acre for a pair, along with a 9ft-high fence,' says Spratt. 'That's not only to keep the wallabies in, but to keep foxes out.

'They are cute, but they're not pets - they're a parkland animal and they need space. They're big grazers, and they won't show any sympathy for rosebushes.'

They also don't like dogs and are poor security guards. In fact, they are usually so timid that they tend to jump away from human contact.

Out in the field, four females have gathered around the slices of white bread Quintin has scattered about the field. Although they can eat bread, their main diet is grass, leaves and roots which they swallow without chewing, before regurgitating the cud and chewing on it.

They also have very little need for water and can go for months without drinking.
Although it is difficult to get too close, there is something mesmerising about the wallaby.

'Are they intelligent?' Spratt laughs. 'Well, I've never had a conversation with one,' he says. 'But they do seem to know what's going on.'

As we watch, the small white head of an albino pokes out of the pouch of one of the grey mothers. He sniffs the air and looks around for a moment, before tucking himself back inside.

'He'll make his way out in a couple of weeks' time,' says Spratt.

Even getting to this stage, however, is something of a feat. Like their larger cousin, the kangaroo, wallabies are less than an inch long when they are born and immediately set about crawling up through their mother's thick fur towards the pouch, where they then attach themselves to a teat. They are then suckled for between seven and nine months.

Spratt is fascinated by these animals, and for him, owning them is a dream come true.

'I've been on the farm all my life,' he says, 'and I've always been interested in exotic animals. I've bred rare peafowl since I was ten and that really is my main business now. I'm even taking a few down to the new Harry Potter film.

'We gradually moved out of agriculture as there was no money in it, and when a local breeder asked me to look after a few wallabies some years ago, I fell in love with them.'

Despite their Australian heritage, wallabies are in no way a new addition to the British countryside.

Feral populations have existed in England and Scotland for years, including notable colonies in the Peak District, which was established after five escaped from a local zoo in 1940, and a sizeable group on the island of Inchconnachan on Loch Lomond which were deliberately introduced there in the Twenties.

One of the oldest and largest colonies is at Leonardslee Gardens in Horsham, West Sussex, where wallabies from Tasmania were introduced by naturalist Sir Edmund Loder in 1889.

Forty descendants of this original colony still roam the gardens and lakes of this Grade-I listed attraction.

'We estimate that our wallabies do the work of two full-time gardeners,' says Robin Loder, great-great-grandson of Sir Edmund.

'We have a number of very steep, grassy banks and areas where it is impossible for a lawnmower to reach, but which the wallabies keep trim and in good order.

'We love them, because they also eat all the brambles but keep away from the plants and provide natural fertiliser for the bluebells and wildflowers as they go.'

Unlike rabbits, deer and other animals, the wallabies have a special feature that makes them uniquely suited to such a protected and fragile environment.

'They have a rubbery underside to their feet so they don't make deep tracks like other animals and they don't damage the micro-environment,' says Loder, 'and they tend not to use the same path twice. They're individuals.'

Loder believes there is little chance they will become a threat to native species in the manner of the grey squirrel.

'Wallabies occupy a niche that doesn't compete with any native species,' he says. 'They don't prey on other species and they don't take food from other animals.

'They work hard, they're totally green, they don't draw wages, they don't take holidays and they're wonderfully natured. What more could you want?'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1181951/Meet-lawnmower-legs-Why-wallabies-taking-Englands-gardens-leaps-bounds.html