Cadmore Common
KANGAROO
Milkman caught on the hop by Kangaroo
An astonished milkman was caught on the hop when he spotted a kangaroo while out on his rounds.
Alan Doughty was making deliveries near Cadmore Common on Tuesday morning when he caught sight of the massive marsupial hopping in front of his milk float. He said: "I had to do a double take. I've seen badgers and deer, but never expected to see a kangaroo in Bucks. "We sat looking at each other for about ten minutes. It was definitely too big for a wallaby. I'm sure it was a kangaroo. "When I eventually started the milk float up and drove down the road, he carried on hopping in front of me, about 20 feet away from the float. "I don't think he was expecting to see a milkman at that time of the morning."

Mr Doughty said he had been talking to a gamekeeper near Cadmore Common who also claimed to have seen the animal. Animal expert Trevor Smith, of Animal World, an animal filming company based in High Wycombe, warned people not to approach the marsupial as kangaroos can be dangerous when cornered. He added: "I would be very surprised if this is a kangaroo and not a wallaby. Wallabies are actually very common in this country these days. I caught one only last year. "There are a whole range of animals that are not indigenous to England living here at the moment. "If anybody sees the wallaby or kangaroo they should watch where it goes and call me immediately. A kangaroo would stand as tall as a person."

8th July 2002

Contributed by: Mark Fraser
Scottish Big Cats.
www.scottishbigcats.org

File: 2002-25

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Chiltern
RATS AS BIG AS CATS
FROM HOME SWEET HOME..
RISK FROM RATS 'AS BIG AS CATS'
Parents fear children at a city school are at risk from rats which are "as big as cats". A cluster of bushes near Chiltern Primary School, in Chiltern Street, has been colonised by the rodents. One parent, Kerry Robinson, 41, of Massey Close, is so concerned she is threatening to take her son Liam, seven, out of the school until the rats have been cleared. She says the issue is particularly close to home because her father, Stan Morrison, died from a disease, thought to be Weil's disease, transferred through a rat bite. Mr Morrison was working as a fish filleter and put his hand into a bucket which contained a rat. The rat bit him and he became ill, eventually dying. "I'm absolutely terrified because of what happened to my dad. I don't think I could go through that again," she said. "At the end of the day, children play out there and I'm worried they could get bitten."

Another Massey Close resident, Pearl Caldeira, whose six-year-old granddaughter Shannon Greening attends the school, said she sees the rats scurry from bush to bush every day. She said: "They are as big as cats. When we are waiting for the children, the rats are running around in front of us." School staff were quick to take action when the rodents were first spotted. They contacted Hull City Council which sent workers to cut back the bushes. But Lesley Howland, the school's home/school liaison co-ordinator, said the problem had worsened. She said: "They are massive and the parents are very concerned, as we are. "They're not on the school premises but outside of the school gates where there's an alleyway that leads on to a park." She added: "We encourage the children to come straight into the school when they see the rats."

A spokeswoman for Hull City Council said the authority was continuing to tackle the problem. She said: "The difficulty we have is the area is used by children and the public. "As a result, we don't want to cover it with traditional poison baits. "We will use non-poisonous substances to find where the rats are and then use poison. "It will take longer but we are dealing with the problem."

09:30 - 27 March 2003

matthew.croshaw@ hulldailymail.co.uk

Contributed by: Mark Fraser
Scottish Big Cats.
www.scottishbigcats.org

File: 
Ref No:

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Frieth
WALLABY
Marlow Wallaby
The last sighting of the Buckinghamshire Wallaby was by a Marlow resident driving past Mousells Wood near Frieth at about 9pm on Friday, April 16. He got out of the car and the animal, described as grey and about 3ft tall on its haunches, then jumped into a ditch and disappeared into the woods. He said he contacted the Marlow Free Press after reading an article on a wallaby sighting in a national tabloid. Former Doctor Who Colin Baker is among the people who have seen the wallaby previously.

Chris Mullins
Co-ordinator
info@beastwatch.co.uk
Tel: (01509) 551 621