Wallaby spotted in Nottinghamshire village

A wallaby has been sighted in a Nottinghamshire village.

The small marsupial, which is native to Australia and New Guinea, was spotted in Calverton in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Ben Thompson noticed the pouched mammal at the old colliery site just before 6am on Sunday morning. He shared a photo in a local Facebook group which sparked conversation in the local community.

Some questioned the sighting but Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT) said it was likely true and tallied with a sighting reported earlier in the month at nearby Springwater golf course.

The organisation said it had also received an unconfirmed report of a dead wallaby on a nearby roadside.

Experts say the presence of wallabies in the local area is a "cause for concern" as it could present a threat to native wildlife.

The animals have been kept in zoos and private collections across the UK for more than 100 years, in which time there have been a number of escapes.

Breeding populations have been reported in the past, such as on the edge of the Peak District, which was thought to have become extinct.

"If numbers of wallabies are present and establish a breeding population this would be a concern as our native UK wildlife is already under threat," said Erin McDaid from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

"Invasive non-native species already cost millions of pounds in terms of damage and efforts to control them across our countryside. Locally we’re already having to deal with the impacts of non-native species such as mink, signal crayfish and plants such as Himalayan balsam and, as we tackle the nature and climate crisis, it's vital that we prevent any further damaging non-natives getting a foothold.”

He stressed that any sightings should be reported, preferably with a photo, to the National Biodiversity Network at NBN.co.uk.

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