Wallaby seen wandering through garden in England

A wallaby was sighted hopping around a garden in Devon on Thursday, thousands of miles from its native home of Tasmania.

The unusual animal was spotted wandering around Clayhidon in the Blackdown Hills, near the border with Somerset.

The grey marsupial was filmed galloping around the garden and pausing for a moment before moving off again, BBC Devon reported.

It comes after a wallaby was spotted in the countryside in the village of Whitestone, near Exeter.

Paul Peters and his daughter saw one of species near their home in July this year.

He told DevonLive: 'I've now seen it twice. I was surprised when I first saw it in the field. You just don't expect to see something like that.'

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Bizarre moment a WALLABY bounces along a main road in Devon - more than 10,000 miles from the marsupial's native Tasmania

In March, a wallaby was captured hopping down a road in Crediton in a clip that was sent to documentary filmmaker Tim Whittard, who investigates out-of-place animals.

Mr Whittard said that the UK had seen an increase in reports of the red-necked species in recent years.

He said: 'I'm not at all surprised by the sighting though, the presence of red-necked wallabies in the UK has been quite well reported on in recent years, and it is clear we have a small breeding population of them here in Britain.'

Red-necked wallabies, native to Tasmania, are believed to have either escaped from private collections or even deliberately released into the wild.

Similar in appearance to kangaroos but far smaller in size, they have a grey-brown coat.

They are thought to be solitary animals and are more active at night or early in the day.

Another sighting of the rare marsupial was recorded in the Devon village of Hemyock in December 2020, where one was spotted roaming down a country lane.

It was filmed running in front of a car on the road before sprinting out of danger into the bushes. 

Grace Brook and her twin sister Beth, who had lived in the village all their lives, spotted what they first thought was a kangaroo while driving down the road.

Another wallaby was reported touring Cornwall in 2017, and was sighted in several locations including Cornish villages Launceston, Lerryn and Lostwithiel.

Despite being reported to the RSPCA, the marsupial appeared to evade animal handlers while travelling between neighbourhoods.

How the wallaby came to Britain 

Wallabies became established in the wild in England during the early 20th century due to deliberate releases and accidental escapes from captivity.

Overall, the feral population of red-necked wallabies in Britain is declining so it is becoming less common to see them in the wild.

Red-necked wallabies are particularly vulnerable to harsh winters, especially severe snow falls.

They are also subject to disturbance from human activities and road accidents are a significant cause of death.

If a red-necked wallaby is seen in the wild the RSPCA advises you to watch from afar, enjoy the unusual sight and leave the animal alone.

As the animals are not native to the UK, releasing a wallaby into the wild would be an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.