A Wallaby has been spotted in Calverton and Oxton in Nottinghamshire
A wallaby, native to Australia and the island of New Guinea, was seen by members of the public around Calverton and Oxton last week.
The small marsupial has been spotted by a greenkeeper at the Oakmere Golf Club and one of its members near the 12th tee.
“We were clearly surprised because we thought that was the sort of animal you’d see in Australia, not in Oxton in the UK,” said Jamie Jarvis, head professional at the golf club.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust was contacted about the recent sightings of the Wallaby in the area, including the golf course.
Members of the Trust said that they don’t know where the wallaby has come from, however they suspect it might be from a private collector.
Erin McDaid of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said: “As far as we are aware, the wallaby is not from a known collection, we suspect it is from a private collection.
“Calverton is in the centre of the county, it could have crossed the border from other counties.
“It is quite interesting how we went from no reports to a lot of reports in such a short amount of time.
“They are not a native species to the UK, but they have been in zoos, farms, and private collections for over a century — there is quite a long history of them escaping or being released into the countryside in Britain.”
The Trust has asked members of the public to contact the National Biodiversity Network at https://nbn.org.uk/ in case of spotting any of the wild animals.
However, if the animal seems to be in distress, they should contact the RSPCA or an animal rescue.