Strange Beasts Sightings - I Saw a Wallaby - General Discussion

kevraff · 30-07-2006, 18:50

OK, this sounds a bit odd but ...

I drive to work down miles of country lane each morning and during Spring and Summer, I see lots of wildlife running accross the road: Rabbits, foxes, badgers, weasels, pheasants etc. I'm used to having to take evasive action - last year I narrowly missed a deer that ran out in front of me.

In April, I was driving down a very narrow lane surrounded by dense woodland when suddenly, out of nowhere, a kangeroo appeared in the road in front of me. I was totally shocked; I slammed the brakes on and watched in amazement as it hopped off into the undergrowth.

Upon reflection, I decided that - as it was only about three foot tall - the creature I'd just seen wasn't big enough to be an adult Kangeroo; it was either a 'joey' or a wallaby.

Anyway, since then, my friends and family have been taking the p1ss non-stop over my insistence that I saw a Wallaby in the middle of the road - until last week, when my family friend discovered that there have been a few sightings of Kangeroos/Wallabies in rural Warwickshire over the past few years - so I might not be a deluded fantasist after all.

Have any other Forum Members had any X Files-type encounters with Strange wild beasts: specifically Wallabies in Warwickshire?

Mort Rainey · 30-07-2006, 18:53

There are a number of place in the Uk that have wallabies. I used to live in Kent and there is a vineyard in Penshurst which has wallabies.

There was a thread on here a couple of weeks back about "big cat" sightings.

Boris Johnson · 30-07-2006, 18:54

It can easily happen, normally an animal(s) may escape from a park and breed in the wild, sometimes this may happen after a major storm where trees come down and fences get damaged.
There are many places animals can remain hidden and every now and then there's a sighting.

Thorn1979 · 30-07-2006, 18:56

Weirdly, someone wrote to our local paper recently swearing blind they had seen a wallaby bound across the road by the cricket ground (practically town centre, not country lanes). He was laughed off.

maybe there was something in it...

stumblebum · 30-07-2006, 18:57

Its not unheard of so don't worry

I was sent to a job a coule of years ago when a member of the public reported a dead Kangaroo in a ditch.......sure enough thats what it was.

It had escaped from a farm nearby that breeds them for meat

No wonder the person who killed it did nt report it though.....imagine calling the Police late a night to say that you had just run a Kangaroo over.......

DBC · 30-07-2006, 18:58

You are correct about these wallabies. They were originally released from a private zoo in Staffordshire 1939 and now seem to have spread into neighbouring counties. It was thought that they had died out due to some very bad winters but , judging from your sighting, they are still around

News story here

lemoncurd · 30-07-2006, 18:59

Meh, you get wallabies in the wild up near Bolton.

Mort Rainey · 30-07-2006, 19:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumblebum

Its not unheard of so don't worry

I was sent to a job a coule of years ago when a member of the public reported a dead Kangaroo in a ditch.......sure enough thats what it was.

It had escaped from a farm nearby that breeds them for meat

No wonder the person who killed it did nt report it though.....imagine calling the Police late a night to say that you had just run a Kangaroo over.......

My brother run a cow over!

It was ok and got up and run off, but he said it rolled right over with it's legs up in the air!!!

I couldn't stop laughing, not because I didn't feel sorry for the cow, but he was as white as a sheet, it really freaked him out! The name of the road was "Cow Lane" too!

30-07-2006, 18:50	#1
kevraff Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Birmingham Services: 128k ISDN Posts: 2,348	Strange Beasts Sightings - I Saw a Wallaby OK, this sounds a bit odd but ... I drive to work down miles of country lane each morning and during Spring and Summer, I see lots of wildlife running accross the road: Rabbits, foxes, badgers, weasels, pheasants etc. I'm used to having to take evasive action - last year I narrowly missed a deer that ran out in front of me. In April, I was driving down a very narrow lane surrounded by dense woodland when suddenly, out of nowhere, a kangeroo appeared in the road in front of me. I was totally shocked; I slammed the brakes on and watched in amazement as it hopped off into the undergrowth. Upon reflection, I decided that - as it was only about three foot tall - the creature I'd just seen wasn't big enough to be an adult Kangeroo; it was either a 'joey' or a wallaby. Anyway, since then, my friends and family have been taking the p1ss non-stop over my insistence that I saw a Wallaby in the middle of the road - until last week, when my family friend discovered that there have been a few sightings of Kangeroos/Wallabies in rural Warwickshire over the past few years - so I might not be a deluded fantasist after all. Have any other Forum Members had any X Files-type encounters with Strange wild beasts: specifically Wallabies in Warwickshire?

30-07-2006, 18:53	#2
Mort Rainey Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 3,542	There are a number of place in the Uk that have wallabies. I used to live in Kent and there is a vineyard in Penshurst which has wallabies. There was a thread on here a couple of weeks back about "big cat" sightings.

30-07-2006, 18:54	#3
Boris Johnson Banned User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 186	It can easily happen, normally an animal(s) may escape from a park and breed in the wild, sometimes this may happen after a major storm where trees come down and fences get damaged. There are many places animals can remain hidden and every now and then there's a sighting.

30-07-2006, 18:56	#4
Thorn1979 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Worcester, UK Services: Who fills this in - really? Posts: 591	Weirdly, someone wrote to our local paper recently swearing blind they had seen a wallaby bound across the road by the cricket ground (practically town centre, not country lanes). He was laughed off. maybe there was something in it...

30-07-2006, 18:57	#5
stumblebum Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: ♀ Hampshire Services: Experience is something you get 10 seconds after you needed it Posts: 4,983 Blog Entries: 6	Its not unheard of so don't worry I was sent to a job a coule of years ago when a member of the public reported a dead Kangaroo in a ditch.......sure enough thats what it was. It had escaped from a farm nearby that breeds them for meat No wonder the person who killed it did nt report it though.....imagine calling the Police late a night to say that you had just run a Kangaroo over.......

30-07-2006, 18:58	#6
DBC Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: East Midlands Services: Freesat and Freeview . Topfield TF5800PVR Posts: 3,704	You are correct about these wallabies. They were originally released from a private zoo in Staffordshire 1939 and now seem to have spread into neighbouring counties. It was thought that they had died out due to some very bad winters but , judging from your sighting, they are still around News story here

30-07-2006, 18:59	#7
lemoncurd Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Gender: Male Location: Bristol Services: Freeview (Fusion FVRT200 DVR); BeUnlimited 8Mb Posts: 23,340 Blog Entries: 1	Meh, you get wallabies in the wild up near Bolton.