While driving to work on a quiet morning in Liskeard, Cornwall, local resident Scot Weller thought he saw a dog in the road. As the animal leapt forward, he realized it was not a familiar pet but a wallaby – a small, kangaroo‑like marsupial native to Australia.
Unexpected visitor on Dean Street
Weller, who also runs the Original Cornish Pasties shop, described the scene: the wallaby was hopping along Dean Street, drawing the attention of several drivers behind him. Concerned that the animal might be struck by traffic, he slowed his vehicle and followed the marsupial as it made its way onto the sidewalk.
When the wallaby paused, Weller called out, “Hello, you’re not from around here, are you?” The animal then disappeared down a side road toward the local Co‑op store. “It was a bit sad that he was out there on his own,” Weller said, noting the recent heatwave left little food for a creature so far from its natural habitat.
Police notified, search yields no result
Weller reported the sighting to Devon and Cornwall Police via the non‑emergency 101 line. The call handler initially struggled to understand the report, asking for clarification before confirming the animal was indeed a wallaby. Police officers arrived shortly after the 6 a.m. call, conducting an area search of Dean Street and surrounding streets. By the time they reached the location, the wallaby had vanished.
A spokesperson for the force confirmed, “We were called to a report of a wallaby seen on Dean Street, Liskeard, shortly before 6 am today, August 24. Officers carried out an area search but did not locate the animal.”
Other local sightings
The Liskeard sighting is not isolated. Earlier this month, a wallaby was reported in north Devon, and a staff member at the nearby leisure centre said the animal was seen over the weekend on the secondary school playing fields. Residents are left wondering how the marsupial arrived, as no official explanation has been offered.
Local wildlife experts note that wallabies occasionally escape from private collections or farms and can survive for short periods in the British countryside, especially when food sources are available. However, the combination of an unusually warm summer and the animal’s unfamiliar surroundings raises concerns about its wellbeing.
Community reaction
Social media posts from Liskeard residents show a mix of amusement and empathy. Some commenters joked about the wallaby becoming a new tourist attraction, while others expressed concern for its safety, urging authorities to locate and safely relocate the animal.
For now, the wallaby remains at large, and the police continue to monitor any further reports. The incident serves as a reminder of the unexpected ways wildlife can appear in our neighborhoods, prompting both curiosity and a call for responsible stewardship of local ecosystems.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
