A Lisburn councillor has warned of a potential wallaby invasion after he was alerted to the sighting of a mystery animal hopping around Co Down.
Concerns have been raised across Royal Hillsborough following a social media report of the marsupial exploring the village.
Grainy images of the creature on local roads have been posted on a community Facebook site this week, as the hunt for the Australian native species continued.
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A member of the community site posted: “This may sound weird, but has anyone in Hillsborough area lost a young kangaroo.”
DUP Lisburn South councillor Andrew Ewing said: “I have heard that there is a report indeed a wallaby on the loose in Hillsborough, however I do not know whether it has been a confirmed sighting or not.
“This would be the first sighting of a wallaby in the wild in Northern Ireland that I have certainly heard of. Though what I can say is that it is not beyond the realms of possibility.
“I would travel to the Isle Man TT (motorcycle racing) each year and there is quite a large population of wallabies there all over the island.
“What I understand is that some of the wallabies escaped from a nature reserve and then the population just exploded across the island. I would advise anyone who sees any such non-domestic animals in neighbourhoods to contact the animal sanctuaries locally and not to attempt to capture it themselves for their own safety and the safety of the animal.”
Some claims of ownership of the wallaby have been posted online, though none have been confirmed at this time. However, an official rescue attempt has been launched.
A USPCA spokesperson: “I can confirm that a phone call was received and a welfare officer was called out to the Hillsborough area on the report of a wallaby that had been seen on the loose.
“The officer investigated for signs of the animal, but none were found at the scene. There is currently no wallaby in the care of the USPCA.
“If anyone does have a concern about any animal either in the wild or a domestic animal they can contact the USPCA.”
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