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Wallaby goes walkabout in Co Tyrone

It was reported missing on Sunday from the Glenpark Estate, close to Omagh
Jack Quann
Jack Quann

16.12 23 Aug 2022


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Wallaby goes walkabout in Co T...

Wallaby goes walkabout in Co Tyrone

Jack Quann
Jack Quann

16.12 23 Aug 2022


Share this article


A search is underway in Northern Ireland for a wallaby that's gone walkabout.

The marsupial is on the loose in Co Tyrone after escaping from an enclosure.

It was reported missing on Sunday from the Glenpark Estate, close to Omagh.

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The creature can stretch to two-and-a-half foot when it is hopping around. But if it is grazing or eating grass, it can be hard to see.

Richard Beattie is estate owner at Glenpark.

He told Lunchtime Live: "We have a bar, restaurant and we have a kids open farm here to bring your family to.

"We had wallabies on the estate, and we brought two new wallabies - they arrived here on Sunday evening.

"We put them into the enclosure, which is about a quarter of an acre.

"And inside about half an hour there was a neighbour, a farmer, who came down the road and called into the reception.

"He says 'I've just met one of the wallabies on the main road' - and we've been searching since".

He said the wallaby has plenty of greenery on its doorstep.

"Where we live here is just at... Gortin Glen Forest Park, and there is thousands of acres of woodland and grassland.

"We have searched and we have searched - but we'll just keep on looking for it until we find it".

He has this advice if people see the marsupial: "They're not dangerous or vicious whatsoever.

"If anybody sees it, contact Glenpark Estate or the local police here.

"Don't go near it - it'll do you no harm, but there's no point scaring it away".

Main image: A wallaby is seen in a 2016 file photo. Picture by: Chris Ison / Alamy Stock Photo

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