This unusual incident occurred when a wallaby was seen hopping along a residential street, leaving the inhabitants speechless.
Cia Christie, a 13-year-old student, caught the cheeky Australian marsupial, which belongs to the same family as kangaroos, jumping in front of her house near Newcastle Wednesday morning.
After being reported missing for many days, the wallaby was seen in Valley Dene, Chopwell, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, jumping under a fence.
After getting dressed for school, Cia said, “I was just looking out the window and noticed this wallaby.”
I was in awe of what I saw.
She said, “I had to wipe my eyes to be sure I wasn’t dreaming. It was 8.30am.”
I just picked up my phone and began shooting. Outside the home, it was jumping all over a grassy area.
It hopped off behind a fence and was fairly large.
After Cia shared the video on Facebook, an animal protection organization sent her a message informing her that the animal had run off into the adjacent Chopwell forests.
We received a message suggesting that it was last spotted in the woods, according to Cia’s mother Anna Gibson, 52. Though we haven’t seen it since, we hope everything is well.
We don’t know where it came from since there are no zoos or agricultural parks nearby, but it may be a pet that escaped.
It’s probably not what you anticipate seeing jumping along the street in Gateshead.
Gareth Powell, a neighbor, was equally startled to see the hairy monster, but he quickly reached for his phone to record the incident.
‘We were just getting my kid ready for nursery,’ said Mr. Powell, 41, “when my girlfriend walked into the spare room and called through to check out the window.
“When I opened the curtains, I saw a wallaby.” As quickly as I could, I grabbed my phone and started filming.
It has apparently been sighted down in the woods at the bottom of the estate for a few days.
“I subsequently spotted it again at the estate’s entrance, close to the main road, so hopefully it’s okay.”
Although I had previously seen a photo of one, this is unquestionably the first time I have ever seen a wallaby in Chopwell.
Although there are lesser numbers in New Zealand, wallabies are endemic to Australia and New Guinea.
Recent reports of sightings in the UK have baffled people who are aware of how far away the creatures are from their homes.
The adorable animals, which can become as tall as 40 inches, usually consume fruit and plants for food.
However, although being native to Australia, wallabies are not a recent arrival to British countryside.
Since many years ago, there have been feral populations in England and Scotland. Notable examples include the colonies that were developed in the Peak District after the 1940 escape of five animals from a nearby zoo.
Inchconnachan Island in Loch Lomond was intentionally presented to a large group in the 1920s.
At Leonardslee Gardens in Horsham, West Sussex, where Tasmanian wallabies were first brought by naturalist Sir Edmund Loder in 1889, there is one of the oldest and biggest colonies.
I couldn’t quite believe that it was just outside of my home, said Mr. Powell, a Nestle employee.
I really hope the wallaby stays unharmed till it is captured.
Although it seemed to be in good condition, we really hope that it doesn’t cross a busy street and endanger itself or others.
One person commented on the film that Gareth put on social media with the words “Omg poor thing.”
Another said, “Poor animal must be so bewildered,” in the meanwhile.
Although there have been no complaints of wandering wallabies in the region, the RSPCA warned the people not to approach the creatures.
Although wallabies are not a native species to the UK, most people would not be aware that they are considered established in the wild in the country after escaping from captivity.
It’s conceivable that this wallaby is missing or has escaped from a private property as some individuals also maintain them in private collections.
We advise anybody who sees a wallaby in the wild to keep their distance and not attempt to approach it. For non-native species, please use irecord.org.uk/enter-non-native-records. Sightings should be reported to UK Wallaby Sightings, ukwallabies.weebly.com.
“Anyone who sees a wallaby wounded or in need of assistance should watch the animal from a distance and call the RSPCA emergency number at 0300 1234 999,” the organization advises.