Northamptonshire

"Northamptonshire"

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6th November 2004

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DATE:	ANIMAL:	LOCATION:
15th December 2003	RACCOON	Scaldwell
12th August 2004	WALLABY	Duston

Duston Wildes
WALLABY
Two young girls have spotted what is thought to be a wallaby on the run in Northamptonshire.
Georgia who is seven and Charlotte who is eleven spotted the creature hopping through their garden in Duston Wildes. Julie Husbands mother of Georgia and Charlotte was with her daughters when the suspected wallaby was spotted in the garden . Mrs Husbands said “the creature was beige, 3ft tall and had a slim whippet-like face. “I couldn't believe what I was seeing, it was absolutely incredible. I am 100 per cent sure it was a wallaby and many people have agreed with me from the description I was able to give. "It was definitely not a dog, a cat or a fox and you had a good idea of what it was by the way it was bounding, like a small kangaroo. “A couple of friends have heard other reports of a wallaby-like creature in the county and now this happens. It is crazy.

Spokes person from the mammal Society Georgette Shearer said “"There are wallabies living wild in Britain, but it is rare to see one in Northamptonshire. The likelihood is that it has escaped from somewhere and has been living wild since."

Spokesman from Twycross Zoo, in Leicestershire, added: "It may have escaped from a zoo or it could be someone's pet. "Either way it must have been quite a sight to see it hopping across your front lawn." However, he added that there are a few known colonies of wallabies in England living in the wild after they were released in the 1970's. "We are aware that there are colonies of wild wallaby in both Derbyshire and Devon which are seen very occasionally in rural England,"

(Source: Chronicle & Echo - 12th August 2004)

Re- Written By: Cher Jenkins

File: 2004-261
Ref No: 1793

Update:
It has been reported for the second time in one week that a Wallaby has been spotted in Northampton. The Wallaby has been seen bounding through a garden but it is not yet known how the animal came to Northampton The first time it was spotted was in Duston which was reported by the Chronicle & Echo.

It was then spotted in the garden of Mrs Shagufa Rashid who lives in Kettering Rd, She spotted it as she was hanging clothes on her washing line with her baby son in her back garden. Mrs Rashid said “ I rushed into the house as didn’t realise what it was at first , but as soon as I read the story about the sighting in Duston I knew it straight away. The description is exactly the same as how I would describe it, which is when I realised I had seen a Wallaby. It was a light brown colour, about 3ft tall and has a long thin face. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and it did scare me as I never seen one of them before.”

It has been confirmed by mammal experts that small colonies have been seen living wild in UK as far back as 1980, but it is estimated that the numbers have decreased and there are as few as 50 living wild in the UK now.

Wallabies are originally from Australia and were introduced to European zoo’s and then became very sought after pets.

Georgette Shearer a spokeswoman for the Mammal Society said “ This is very interesting and to have two sightings over a space of two days in a large town is very rare indeed. It confirms that it is likely to have been on the run for quite some time. The Wallaby could have got used to its surroundings and is surviving on its own quite well.”

But Mr Phil Richardson who is the county mammal recorder believes the wallaby wont last that long in the wilds of Northamptonshire He said “ A wallaby did escape from wildlife gardens at Lilford Hall, near Thrapston, about 10 or 15 years ago. "There have been no confirmed sightings of wallabies since. If there is a wallaby on the loose, then it will not last long and it will find it difficult to find a mate. "It is not the right habitat; we do not have the open, rolling plains of Australia."

Comments:
We're looking for any information regarding any wallaby sightings in and around the Northampton area, so if you have anything then could you please let us know?

(Source: Chronicle & Echo - 14th August 2004)

Re-Written By: Cher Jenkins

File: 2004-261
Ref No: 1792

Comments:
Any Information at all regarding Wallabies in the UK would be most welcomed.

Thank you

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

Scaldwell
RACCOON
Raccoon is spotted in country lane
Raccoons are natives of North America A RUNAWAY raccoon has been spotted in a country lane in Northamptonshire. When motorist Felicity Slater-Holroyd spotted the creature running along a road near the village of Scaldwell last week, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The 43-year-old systems analyst, from Brixworth, said: "When I first saw the creature out of the corner of my eye, I thought it was a cat. "But it had a distinctive black-and- white tail, a grey body and I immediately knew it was a raccoon. "When I looked back, the raccoon had scuttled into the bushes." Excited wildlife experts have said the native American creature was probably kept as a pet and later escaped or was released.

Chris Mullins, exotic wildlife co-ordinator for wildlife research group Beastwatch UK, said: "Raccoons are kept as pets in America. They are nice and cuddly when they are young, but they grow up very quickly and become impossible to handle. "They can be very mischievous and can bite people if they are handled." The RSPCA said there was another sighting of a racoon in Leicestershire in November. Pensioner Alwyn Sharples, of Bushby, Leicestershire, filmed the creature on video camera tucking into a bowl of nuts in his back garden. A spokesperson from the RSPCA said: "There have been quite a few
sightings throughout the country this year. "They are increasingly kept as pets and can escape into the wild. "The racoon is a very clever animal but can give a very severe bite so people should be very vary of them.."

FACT File