Wallaby attack

[Anonymous]

This is just a story that I suddenly remembered earlier (its not my imagination, my dad remembers the news reports too and discussing what it must have been with me) and I just realised its worth.
I come from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and a couple of years back, I cant remember exactly when, but it was about xmas sometime, a report came on the morning local news that something had killed and injured several of the wallabys in their enclosure at Belfast City Zoo overnight. Zoo staff had chased it and called the police who arrived and shot it dead. Reports on the local news in the evening said that zoo staff were completely stumped as to what the animal was that had attacked the wallabys after they examined it and later said it was "dog like". By the next morning the reports said it was just a stray dog (zoo staff not identify a dog! cover up time!) that had broke into the zoo and then into the wallaby enclosure. The story promptly vanished by the afternoon never too be heard of again. Is this the first chupacabra attack in the British Isles, or something else and are there any other Norn Iron people on here who remember it.
As a sidetrack on this story Northern Ireland has actually been a hot bed of UFO activity, we've even had a couple of cattle mutilations, big ABCs and some BIGGER doggy stories, think the black dog stories, put them in packs and throw in some dead bulls etc and quite a few injured soldiers on patrol at night in the countryside and even an SAS undercover team who apparently blew their cover to kill one of these animals who's pack dragged the body off into the local caves(County Tyrone where this alledgedly happened is riddled with underground cave systems). This country really has more too it that needs to be investigated than the "troubles"!

 

[ogopogo3]

A few years back, we had a collection of wallabies in our Duluth Zoo. One night, a male escaped. As I remember it, the little bugger managed to evade capture and roadkill (the zoo is right off a major highway) for more than a month. He was finally found in someone's yard, and he was tranquilized and captured and brought back. Not too long after he was returned, he was beaten to death by the alpha male of the group. That really bummed me out for some reason.

 

[Anonymous]

some BIGGER doggy stories, think the black dog stories, put them in packs and throw in some dead bulls etc and quite a few injured soldiers on patrol at night in the countryside and even an SAS undercover team who apparently blew their cover to kill one of these animals who's pack dragged the body off into the local caves(County Tyrone where this alledgedly happened is riddled with underground cave systems).

Er... how many times have you been watching "Dog Soldiers"?

 

[Anonymous]

Not too long after he was returned, he was beaten to death by the alpha male of the group.

Hehe - I'm unsuccessfully trying to stifle a giggle at the visual to that one. Look at those little arms go!



EDIT: (in response to Anome's post below)
Please ignore bits of flying gore and fur and the sickening sound of two wallabies at war. :cross eye

 

[Anome]

I have to say I was sadly misled by the thread title, here. Particularly after I warned of the dangers of wallabies elsewhere on the board.

A few years back, we had a collection of wallabies in our Duluth Zoo. One night, a male escaped. As I remember it, the little bugger managed to evade capture and roadkill (the zoo is right off a major highway) for more than a month. He was finally found in someone's yard, and he was tranquilized and captured and brought back. Not too long after he was returned, he was beaten to death by the alpha male of the group. That really bummed me out for some reason.

I would suspect that the wallaby escaped because of a failed challenge to the Alpha in the first place. In Kangaroo mobs (and wallabies are probably much the same) unsuccessful challengers are often driven off, or isolate themselves from the group. There's a documentary (Faces in the Mob I think) where, after a series of unsuccesful challenges, the mob was split in two, and divided their territory.

Oh, and Quicksilver: If you'd ever seen a fight between two wallabies or 'roos, you wouldn't find it quite so funny. While most of the damage is done with the rear legs, the front legs are used to attempt to get at the eyes. The sight can be amusing, until you see the amount of fur coming off, and hear the sickening noise of them hitting eachother.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah of course I've seen Dog Soldiers. Fantastic. I wish to point out though that this is an older story thats been banging around. Probably erroneous but still fun, the soldiers weren't after the dogs, just got stuck in a compromising position with a pack of them whilst trying to keep an eye on some two legged undesirables.

 

[Anonymous]

Oops!

Quite right, Anome.
I have never seen the spectacle of an altacation between wallabies, and glad of that fact I am too.
So I apologise for my misplaced and inappropriate display of 'humour'.

I have edited my post above accordingly.

 

[Anome]

Re: Oops!

Quite right, Anome.
I have never seen the spectacle of an altacation between wallabies, and glad of that fact I am too.
So I apologise for my misplaced and inappropriate display of 'humour'.

I have edited my post above accordingly.

I didn't mean for you to take it personally, although, reading it again, I don't think I got the tone quite right. Apologies. I didn't mean to deny you your fun, simply make an observation about internal struggles in Macropod species (Kangaroos and Wallabies, amongst others).

I never intended it to read as "Won't someone think of the poor wallabies?", but I can see that it does read that way.