Multiple wild wallabies spotted in Nottinghamshire prompts wildlife experts to ask public to report new sightings

6 October 2024, 11:13 | Updated: 6 October 2024, 11:20

Several sightings of wallabies have been spotted in Nottinghamshire over recent months, with wildlife experts asking the public to come forward with new sightings.

The first public sighting of the wild marsupial was in Calverton on July 21, with several reports of the kangaroo-like animal in other locations across Nottinghamshire - including Bottesford and Bilsthorpe.

Another sighting of the animal was spotted at Oakmere Golf Club, near Southwell, on July 29, Nottinghamshire Live reported.

The Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT) confirmed that the sightings of the animal are likely to be true and has tracked the locations of the marsupial sightings, some of which are separated by up to 20 miles (32 km).

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"The distance between these, stretching from Bilsthorpe to Bottesford, is quite a distance and it makes it unlikely those animals are escapes from the same location,” Erin McDaid, from the NWT, told the BBC.

It’s also been alleged that the wallabies may have escaped from a private collection.

“We’re now wondering whether there’s been more than one escape recently or whether wallabies have been in the Nottingham countryside without us realising for longer than we thought,” Mr McDaid told Sky.

To discover how many of the pouched animals, which are Native to Australia, are roaming free in Nottinghamshire, the Trust has requested that the public come forward with any new sightings.

The species records, which the Trust state are necessary for conservation efforts, can be reported by the public on their website.