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UK Marsupials

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Kangaroo killed on the M40

Watch out, Skippy, a tru...:(

'Kangaroo' find sparks mystery
By Michelle Fleming

MYSTERY surrounds the shock discovery of a dead kangaroo on the M40 in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Baffled animal experts and police are trying to piece together events leading to the gruesome discovery by traffic police at 3.54am on Sunday in the second lane between junctions five and six of the M40 near Stokenchurch.

No one has reported or owned up to the accident.

Inspector Peter Shepherd, based at Kidlington police headquarters, admitted he is still unsure if the animal was a kangaroo or a wallaby.

He said: "We are not marsupial experts but it was certainly one of the hopping variety. The strange thing is we've had no reports of someone hitting a kangaroo."
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More here.
 
Kangaroo roadkill on M40 near High Wycombe

Bucks Free Press

'Kangaroo' find sparks mystery
By Michelle Fleming
MYSTERY surrounds the shock discovery of a dead kangaroo on the M40 in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Baffled animal experts and police are trying to piece together events leading to the gruesome discovery by traffic police at 3.54am on Sunday in the second lane between junctions five and six of the M40 near Stokenchurch.

No one has reported or owned up to the accident.

Inspector Peter Shepherd, based at Kidlington police headquarters, admitted he is still unsure if the animal was a kangaroo or a wallaby.

He said: "We are not marsupial experts but it was certainly one of the hopping variety. The strange thing is we've had no reports of someone hitting a kangaroo."

Animal expert Trevor Smith of High Wycombe said he had reports of a kangaroo in the area more than a year ago.

He captured a wild wallaby in High Wycombe six months ago a drama broadcast on his Discovery Channel animal programme.

"There are wallabies living around here even though they are not indigenous animals. People released them and they have bred in the wild. It will be incredibly interesting if it is a kangaroo as it means people have started keeping them."

He added: "But if people are taking on kangaroos then we need to know about it. Are they being kept as pets or are people farming them for meat which some people are getting into now?"

Kangaroos, which come under the Dangerous Wild Animals Licensing Act 1976, can grow up to 7ft tall while their closely-related wallaby brothers only grow to 4ft.

Trevor warned: "If you get one in a corner they can give quite a nasty kick enough to bowl me over."

The body was taken away by Highways Agency contractors Carillion.

An agency spokesman said: "Nobody knows how it got there. The body is in the depot for the time being."

A spokesman for Wooburn Safari Park, home to 40 wallabies, confirmed all its animals were accounted for.

Wallaby keepers at Henley's Brackenhill Stud farm also confirmed no escapes and added it was unlikely a wallaby would travel so far.

The Bucks Free Press reported two kangaroo and wallaby sightings last year.

17:12 Monday 3rd June 2002
 
Now thats interesting,....is the kangaroo out of place? Where's wycombe?

As much as 7ft? 4ft? I'd hate to run into one, they sound big and scary....
 
It would be no surprise to discover it is a wallably because many have been sighted throughout Britain.
 
Aliant said:
Now thats interesting,....is the kangaroo out of place? Where's wycombe?

As much as 7ft? 4ft? I'd hate to run into one, they sound big and scary....
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wycombe is just outside London West end, down the M40 between there and Reading/Oxfordshire way. heres a map .

Aliant's point is good, has the body been conclusively identified or labelled 'Kangaroo' because it kinda looks a bit like it? Suppose they must have..!
 
We will all be Killed!

This is the kind of thing that happens when you introduce an aliens species. hehe

http://www.100megsfree4.com/farshores/c02wa2.htm

Scotland's Island Wallaby Colony Swim For It
[Original headline: Wandering wallabies take shore leave]

New hazard hops on to the roads after Australian colonists swim off and set up home on mainland
We are used to avoiding rabbits, hedgehogs and the occasional sheep on our roads but swerving to avoid a kangaroo-like creature bouncing in front of you is surely only for drivers Down Under.

Not if you are in Loch Lomond.

A handful of wallabies, introduced on to a tiny island on the loch several years ago, have been breeding furiously and some have decided to make a hop for the mainland.

There have been a number of sightings of the meandering marsupials around the village of Luss, on the west side of the loch.

A boatman for Luss Estates said: "Personally, I have seen at least two wallabies on the mainland in the last few weeks, and some of my friends say they have also come across the creatures in the woods.

"They are obviously very shy animals and they take off pretty quickly a soon as they sense that any human is around. I have no idea how may wallabies have made it off the island and are now living on the mainland. But it must be quite a few due to the number of sightings there have been."

A truck driver reported that he had to swerve to avoid hitting what he thought was a kangaroo.

Road safety officials and police are now having to consider putting up signs warning motorists to watch out for the hopping beasts.

A small number of wallabies, native to Australia, were brought to one of Loch Lomond's 23 islands, believed to be Inchconnachan, in the 1970s by a private landowner.

He was considering establishing a wildlife park, but when the idea was abandoned, so were the wallabies.

Since then, the population has grown and there are now thought to be more than 40 wallabies inhabiting the island.

They survive on shrubs and plants and have become accustomed to the Scottish climate.

Nancy Fraser, of Scottish National Heritage, said: "A few wallabies were brought to the island by a landowner who wanted to create a mini wildlife park several years ago.

"Since then, the population has exploded. A few have swum to the mainland and there have been several reports of sightings in the area. A truck driver recently reported that he almost hit what he thought was a kangaroo.

"Sadly they don't tend to survive very long off the island as there are no other wallabies for them to mate with."

The animals, who are residing in Scotland's first national park, are believed to be the only wallabies living wild in this country. There is another large colony in the Lake District.

A spokeswoman for Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park said: "We believe there are around 40 wallabies living on one of the islands on the loch, although it is hard to gauge the exact number.

"They were introduced by a landowner in the 1970s and have lived there ever since. The island has since changed hands and has its own farm."

The national park was officially opened by the Princess Royal last month. It is the second largest national park in Britain, covering 720 square miles, stretching from Crianlarich, in the north, to Balloch in the south.

The park holds 21 Munros (peaks over 3000ft), 33 Corbetts (over 2500ft), two forest parks and 57 sites designated for their special conservation value.
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A day ot two ago the BBC weather girl was doing her thing from Loch Lomond, and they mentioned the wallabies and the fact they'd been seen on the mainland.

Another theory they mentioned was that the wallabies may have crossed over the ice in a cold spell of winter weather. Probably hunger would become a problem on an island in winter.
 
Possible altho they have been known to swim but I dont know if they have been known to swim that far.
Im just wondering if it is worth taking a trip up to loch lomond and bagging myself a little pet wallabie.
Surely there are no laws in place that would disallow me to own a wallabie as a pet. I dont think they are categorised under the dangerous pet law.

Im just looking forward to all the cryptid reports that are going to be coming from up north about Kangaroo type creatures. Unless all the ABCs kill them first.
 
Evolved said:
Surely there are no laws in place that would disallow me to own a wallabie as a pet. I dont think they are categorised under the dangerous pet law.
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Maybe there aren't in Scotland, but it is illegal in Australia to keep native animals as pets (there is a complicated licensing system to allow individuals to keep them, but the process is beyond most people). The idea is to protect the species, although there is an increasing movement proposing preservation through domestication. A lot of damage to the environment could have been prevented if we'd domesticated the animals here, rather than import European species.

ibid
Im just looking forward to all the cryptid reports that are going to be coming from up north about Kangaroo type creatures. Unless all the ABCs kill them first.
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Don't worry about the wallabies, they can look after themselves. Sure, they look cute and all, but once they get a taste for blood, look out! (If you suddenly get a rash of livestock mutilations in Scotland, it may not be ABCs, or even drunk University students, after all...)

(edit: It's early, here at least, and I haven't slept well. I'm still concerened about a couple of basic errors in spelling/grammar/general language skills.)
 
anome said:
A lot of damage to the environment could have been prevented if we'd domesticated the animals here, rather than import European species.
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Very very true, although I dont think the people that moved to oz (or should that be sent?) all those years ago where particularly interested in Wildlife preservation. Perhaps more self preservation.
Makes you wonder why they passed off the oppertunity of having a pet Tasmanian Tiger. I bet those would of been fun to go walkies with. ;)

anome said:
Don't worry about the wallabies, they can look after themselves.
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Oh I know about those damned wallabies. I got kicked by one once in Western Australia. Hit me right in the knee cap and I was limping for ages. Well thats what I get for teasing it :)
 
Evolved said:
Very very true, although I dont think the people that moved to oz (or should that be sent?) all those years ago where particularly interested in Wildlife preservation. Perhaps more self preservation.
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Which is, of course, part of the problem. By the time anyone worked it out, it was already too late. (Also the idea of domesticating macropods as food animals raises its own issues, such as: how the hell do you corrall the buggers?)
ibid
Makes you wonder why they passed off the oppertunity of having a pet Tasmanian Tiger. I bet those would of been fun to go walkies with. ;)
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I quite agree. I've had a few pet dogs and cats in my lifetime, but I do think keeping Thylacines and Quolls would be at least as much fun, and way cooler. (Of course, this is one of the motives behind the Thylacine cloning project, I believe. Not one of the ones the "serious" scientists state, but there are a few people driven by it.)

ibid, again
Oh I know about those damned wallabies. I got kicked by one once in Western Australia. Hit me right in the knee cap and I was limping for ages. Well thats what I get for teasing it :)
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I wouldn't go picking on Wallabies, if I were you. Particularly not the front row. They take their rugby very seriously, indeed.
 
One problem about the domesticated Thylacines anome. I read that they didnt take to kindly to humans. Apparently they also die quickly when in captivity for some reason which would be a bit of a downer, altho with all the cloning thats going on we should just stick in some "nice" dna to make them more placid. or a little castration might help matters. :blah:
 
The animals, who are residing in Scotland's first national park, are believed to be the only wallabies living wild in this country. There is another large colony in the Lake District.
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Isn't there a stable and thriving colony in the Derbyshire Peak District? I'm sure they've been there for a good few decades...and they seem to be pretty well a self-contained community! Hardly an Australian invasion:D
 
Evolved said:
One problem about the domesticated Thylacines anome. I read that they didnt take to kindly to humans. Apparently they also die quickly when in captivity for some reason which would be a bit of a downer, altho with all the cloning thats going on we should just stick in some "nice" dna to make them more placid. or a little castration might help matters. :blah:
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If you can find some "nice" DNA. don't forget to publish your findings. I doubt anything more complicated than selected breeding would be necessary, after all that's how dogs were domesticated. (Genetic engineering: it's been around longer than you think.)

Trying to find compatible DNA could be a problem, as I'm not sure where they are in the Marsupial hierarchy (someone presumably knows, I should look around on the web I guess). A place to start with selective breeding would be with the Tasmanian Devil (a species of quoll, I think, but in about the same niche as a wolverine or a wild cat; note that they do not look anything like Robert McKimson's drawings of them). If we could produce a domesticated species of Devil, then I expect we could domesticate the Thylacine. (Of course, why stop there, we should also look at a number of quoll species, some of the smaller carnivores, and even possums and the like could make good pets. The irony is that this is more likely to happen overseas, probably in the States, than here in Australia.)

I could go on, but I suspect I've sidetracked this thread enough. To bring it back on topic, if anyone in Scotland (or wherever) tries domesticating the local wallaby population, when you get a good bloodline up, see about exporting them here. I can guarantee a few sales.
 
David Raven said:
I'm sure they've been there for a good few decades...and they seem to be pretty well a self-contained community! Hardly an Australian invasion:D
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If you want to see an Australian invasion check out the bar scene in Edinburgh. It seems they are importing Aussies in that city. Every pub has one behind the bar ;)



anome said:
If we could produce a domesticated species of Devil, then I expect we could domesticate the Thylacine. (Of course, why stop there, we should also look at a number of quoll species, some of the smaller carnivores, and even possums and the like could make good pets. The irony is that this is more likely to happen overseas, probably in the States, than here in Australia.)
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Only thing is Tasmanian Devils are one of the most stinkiest animals on the planet. Wed need to tinker about with their insides first before we sold em to the public or wed have a bunch of angry customers demanding their money back. Your idea about breeding good thylacines, devils etc is a good one only I think I read somewhere that this was tried by the aboriginies to no avail.. something to do with marsupials are too wild to be domesticated, but given enough time im sure that this would not be the case.

anome said:
I could go on, but I suspect I've sidetracked this thread enough. To bring it back on topic, if anyone in Scotland (or wherever) tries domesticating the local wallaby population, when you get a good bloodline up, see about exporting them here. I can guarantee a few sales.
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Well mate, Im going to take a trip up soon and catch me a few. If I do youll be on my mailing list and Ill send you a cracking wee breeding pair for you to sell on the Oz animal black market :D
 
Evolved said:
If you want to see an Australian invasion check out the bar scene in Edinburgh. It seems they are importing Aussies in that city. Every pub has one behind the bar ;)
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It's a conservation thing. There are more than enough Scots and Irish working in bars in Australia to make up for it.

ibid
Only thing is Tasmanian Devils are one of the most stinkiest animals on the planet. Wed need to tinker about with their insides first before we sold em to the public or wed have a bunch of angry customers demanding their money back. Your idea about breeding good thylacines, devils etc is a good one only I think I read somewhere that this was tried by the aboriginies to no avail.. something to do with marsupials are too wild to be domesticated, but given enough time im sure that this would not be the case.
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According to the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service the stink is a reaction to stress. Remove the stress, and you remove the stink. Breeding for domesticity would help address this, and if not successful, the glands could be removed by surgery (as it is with skunks raised as pets).

On the other hand, they're rather fond of eating wallabies, so you'd need to be careful if keeping both. If, however, your wallaby passes away, the Devil will consume its body (fur, bones, and all) in very little time, thus removing the need to bury it (and the ensuing problems should the neighbour's dog dig it up).
 
Isn't there a stable and thriving colony in the Derbyshire Peak District? I'm sure they've been there for a good few decades...and they seem to be pretty well a self-contained community! Hardly an Australian invasion
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I thought the Peak District colony died out a few years back - due to a succession of wet winters. Might be wrong though.

Strangely enough had been talking about this with a friend a week or so ago and had wondered whether the Lomond colony was still going.

How long does an animal have to live in the wild to be classified as 'native'? Fallow deer, rabbits etc were all introduced animals but we think of them as native these days. So why not wallabies.

Oh, and what do they taste like? When's the hunting season?;) :p
 
David Raven said:
Isn't there a stable and thriving colony in the Derbyshire Peak District? I'm sure they've been there for a good few decades...and they seem to be pretty well a self-contained community! Hardly an Australian invasion:D
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You'll find these in area called The Roaches which is somewhere between Leek and Buxton and I believe the colony has been there since before the war. It was thought that the colony had died out a few years ago, due to walkers and hikers upsetting them,but some evidence has been found recently that there are still a few there.
 
THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!

Going only slightky off-topic, there has been a feral colony of wallabies on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu since at least 1916. Plus I think there are some established in New Zealand. Taking over, I tell you. Head for the hills!:eek!!!!:
 
Roadkill

A colleague of mine was driving in Nottinghamshire the other day, in the early hours. The sun was up and he had a good view (he reckons). By the side of the road he spots a dead animal, clearly hit by a car. First instinct? A deer. Second look? A wallaby.

Nice to see that they're still around. I thought they were only loose in Derbyshire.
 
BUMP!

Several threads merged here, renamed, and moved to Cryptozoology. Please let the mods know of any other related threads.
 
Re: Roadkill

MrHyde said:
A colleague of mine was driving in Nottinghamshire the other day, in the early hours. The sun was up and he had a good view (he reckons). By the side of the road he spots a dead animal, clearly hit by a car. First instinct? A deer. Second look? A wallaby.
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Interesting. Whereabouts in Nottinghamshire? Did he get out and examine the animal? what abot the road sweeper who picked it up? Could it not have been a small roe deer, or even a muntjac or pere david ( if there are any left in this country-they were kept for a while I believe)
Nothing intrinically unlikely about wallabies, but we should try to keep tabs on the feral populations and protect them if possible.

steve b
 
Probably a long time after the fact, but Gradbach youth hostel in the Peak District has got (or had, the last time I was up there) a stuffed wallaby in the reception area. The story went that one of the previous wardens found the poor thing dead at the side of the road, popped it in his car boot, took it home and got a friend who just happened to be a taxidermist to sort it out for him!

I didn't know about the Peaks wallabies getting wiped out by bad Winters. Shame that, but at least it looks like a few more colonies are up and about. Thats if the ABCs don't eat them all ;)
 
Hmmm...I may have to quiz him a little more on this issue, just to make sure that we aren't dealing with a spot of UL here. Didn't sound like it, by the level of genuine surprise involved, but still...
He didn't get out and look, no. Shame, really.
 
Back to the marsupials as pets thing. According to the book "Extinct" one old tasmanian woman recalled having a pet thylacine that was as docile as a dog. She recalls playing ball beside it and being able to scramble between its legs to get the ball back and not having any problem. If only more people had followed her families idea then the tassie tiger might still be here. Unfortunately the idea that tigers could be anything other than livestock killers and savage beasts was not picked up and eventually the pet thylacine appeared dead in its kennel overnight - suspected poisoned by neighbours who had made their feelings well known.
 
Despite the legislative restrictions on keeping native Oz animals as pets, I've known people who have kept such critters as kngaroos (eastern greys), brushtail possums, sugar gliders, wombats and, yes, even Tassie devils. However, you really couldn't call the individual animals "domesticated" - more habituated to the presence of humans. I can't honestly say that any of them showed any sign of affection for their "owners" though, unless you call a tendency to bite people unexpectedly "tough love".

Let's face it, millenia probably passed before wolves living in association with humans became "dogs". You're not going to domesticate marsupials in much less time, surely. Well, perhaps an all-out attempt to produce domesticated marsupials could start to make a difference in species that have short generations, but it would take a pretty determined effort in my opinion.
 
I thought I'd bump this thread up with my wallaby tale.

I had a letter submitted in FT April '98 (Mexican Wave issue). I and some others tracked and saw the Roaches wallaby colony near Stoke on Trent, England. Also near to the NT ramblers/Youth Hostel. They had apparently jumped the wall of a local stately home (name of which escapes me) back in the '40's or '50's.

I read an article in a Midlands paper (The Sunday Mercury) about two years ago saying that they had apparently died off.

I have heard since that they are still there, but they are pretty elusive so I guess people haven't been able to track them that well.
 
There is or was a colony of wallabys living in Ashdown Forest (home of Winnie the Pooh !) here in Sussex, sorry but don't know if they are still there. Don't get up that way much. Too busy tracking Wild Boar near home.
 
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