An Unusual Face Hops in on Lewknor Family
A FAMILY in Lewknor had a visit from an unexpected guest last week.
David Carroll said the muntjac deer he spotted in his garden last
Tuesday appeared to be injured but on closer inspection, it turned out
to be a wallaby.
The wallaby remained in the Carrolls' back garden for two days before
hopping off for good. Mr Carroll said: "He/she stayed for two days and
seemed very happy and was not bothered by our dogs, cats and horses.
He especially enjoyed watching the children playing on the trampoline.
"My wife said to me 'there's a muntjac in the garden' but I thought it
was injured because it had very short front legs!
"My son researched what wallabies ate so he left some carrots out in
the garden, which she/he ate and seemed to enjoy.
"It must have been about two or three feet tall."
Mr Carroll said he phoned the RSPCA to see if anyone had reported a
missing pet, or to see if one has escaped from anywhere, but with no
luck. The RSPCA did manage to shed some light on the mystery as to why
the wallaby ended up in a back garden in Oxfordshire, when their
native homes are in the Australian outback.
"Apparently there used to be a large estate somewhere in Bucks that
kept wallabies. There have been sightings over the last ten or 15
years of wallabies from local farmers but until now, nobody has
managed to take a picture of it. It could have been roaming around the
countryside for all that time."
Thame Today: July 2008
