Wallabies Colonize Cornwall

Wallabies seem to be hardier than monkeys when dealing with winters. I remember some rhesus monkeys escaped in New Mexico some years back, but several winters decimated the group. Not so these UK wallabies!:

A photograph of one wallaby, taken by a motorist near a lane in St Breward, follows several recent sightings of a male, female and baby in the area.

The animal seen by the driver is thought to be a male which escaped from a farm three years ago and was never caught. He appears to have found another escaped female, who was later pictured with a joey in her pouch.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said the animal charity is often called to capture escaped wallabies, but it is rarer to find examples of them living in the wild in Britain.

She said: "Wallabies are quite hardy so they do survive quite well. They are breeding as well so they have been doing fine. It has been going on for several years and they have survived some pretty cold winters.

"There are definitely colonies across the country so people should not be surprised if they have seen them."