The UK’s surprising ‘wallaby boom’

Grey squirrels, muntjac and ring-necked parakeets are among the invasive species who have made a home on British shores. Wallabies are among the latest exotic arrivals to thrive in the UK’s increasingly mild climate.

A long-standing wallaby population on the Isle of Man has risen to more than 1,200, leading to debates over a potential cull, as well as strategies to prevent the Australian marsupials establishing a foothold in the rest of the UK.

‘Commonplace’ sighting

Wallabies are not new to the UK but they have never been as prolific as they are now, said the BBC.

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They likely descend from wallabies brought to the UK in the 19th century for zoos and private collections. Over time, some of the animals either escaped or were deliberately released, possibly during the two world wars, when some owners “were unable to look after them”. A famous group of wallabies settled in the Peak District, though it is thought they have since died out following a harsh winter in 2010.

Britain could be “on the verge of a wallaby boom”, said The Times. There is certainly a pattern emerging, and Britain ticks many of the boxes for wallabies to thrive: “conditions are mild, space abundant and predators scarce”.

Free to roam, “these cute creatures have a habit of multiplying when no one is watching”. With known clusters in the Chiltern Hills, Cornwall and Wiltshire, as well as sightings across Cumbria, Yorkshire and Northumberland, experts say that, in many areas, locals “have stopped bothering to report sightings” as the marsupials are so “commonplace”.

‘Unthinkable’ cull now a possibility

On the Isle of Man, the wallaby boom is already a fact. The first marsupials arrived in 1965 as inmates of a wildlife park. The enclosures, however, “proved less than secure” and the escapees and their descendants have since “colonised” a “significant portion” of the northern part of the island.

Their effect on the environment has led to a debate over measures to contain their numbers. “A cull, once unthinkable, now seems a possibility,” said The Times. Once an invasive species becomes “established”, it is “extremely expensive and extremely difficult, if not impossible, to exert any meaningful control”, said ecologist Anthony Caravaggi.

“Though cute, the ‘mob’ (as wallabies are collectively known)” has wreaked havoc on the Isle of Man’s sensitive ecology, said The Economist. The animals “disrupt local wildlife” by nibbling native vegetation, destroying reforestation attempts and disturbing ground-nesting birds.

Studies conducted on the island show that some wallabies spread the parasite toxoplasmosis in their droppings, which could pass to local livestock. Farmers are also concerned as they “damage fences as they roam”, which can allow livestock to escape.

There is agreement that something needs to be done, but “no one wants to use the word ‘cull’” on the Isle of Man, said the BBC’s Discover Wildlife. Wallabies are not only a “tourist attraction”, they have become “embedded within Manx national identity”.