Wildlife trust's public plea after Wallaby sightings near Southwell, Bilsthorpe and Blidworth

Experts have reported an increase in wallaby sightings in Nottinghamshire, indicating potential wild wallaby populations in the area.

In July, a wallaby was spotted on the loose by members of the public in and around Calverton.

The following month, more sightings were reported by staff and club members at Oakmere Golf Club, near Southwell.

The distance between these sightings ranges from Bilsthorpe to Bottesford, according to one wildlife expert.

In August, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust received numerous reports of the wallaby spotted in Southwell, as shared by Chad.

They believe it escaped from a private collection.

Wallabies belong to the same family as kangaroos but are generally smaller.

They are herbivores and live on average for nine years.

The marsupials are native to Australia and New Guinea, but populations have been introduced in other countries.

One study estimates that fewer than 100 wallabies live in the wild in the UK – largely escaped from private collections and zoos.

Erin McDaid from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said: “Following the initial reports of a wallaby sighting near Calverton, we've been surprised at the distance between other sightings across the county.

“Given the number and spread of sightings, it seems unlikely that they al relate to one isolated escape – so we're calling on people to send in any sightings of wallabies via our website.

“Records of sightings help us build a better picture of species distribution.

“We welcome records of other species from across the county too.”

In a Facebook post, Attenborough Nature Reserve – www.facebook.com/attenboroughnaturereserve – shared a map of wallaby sightings in Nottinghamshire.

A spokesperson for the reserve said: “Given that wallabies have been spotted as far afield as Blidworth and Bottesford (more than 20 miles or some 12,000 hops apart), it’s looking less and less like an isolated recent escape.

“The more records that are submitted, the better picture can be built up of their likely presence and spread.”

To report sightings, readers can visit https://shorturl.at/eYFlY.

Following the plea, members of the public shared their thoughts.

In response to the post, many Facebook users commented about sightings of wallabies across the county dating back to the 1970s.