The wallaby - much cuter than your average lawnmower.
Wallabies along with kangaroos may be national symbols of Australia but they’re proving very useful in the leafy suburbs of the UK too.
Home owners in the UK who are fed up of spending their weekends mowing their immaculate lawns are turning to one of Australia’s iconic wildlife instead and in a trend that is growing across the UK, the humble wallaby is proving to be a most useful gardener.
One UK breeder of wallabies is Trevor Lay of Waveney Wildlife in Suffolk, he told The Times newspaper that he has been breeding wallabies for 25 years and has seen demand grow for the cuddly marsupial in recent years. He normally supplies zoos and animal parks across Britain, Europe and the Middle East however now he has started to supply individuals after getting enquires from keen gardeners.
“It’s crazy” he told The Times, “To be honest if I had 100 I could easily get rid of them.” His experiences are held up by other UK wallaby breeders who confirm that demand for them with individual households are rising. One Norfolk farmer sold out of his stock of wallabies!
Wallabies do seem to make the perfect pet, they keep the lawn down and are low maintenance; they are also adorable! However they are notoriously shy so perhaps not so good if your children want to pick them up and cuddle them. Anyone thinking of splashing out on such a pet had better dig deep though, males go for around £150 whilst females can fetch up to £700 – and don’t think you can get away with just buying one, most breeders won’t sell single wallabies because the animals are essentially group animals and would pine if kept alone.
Wild British wallabies can also be seen roaming the countryside of the Peak District, thanks to one Captain Courtney Brocklehurst, a Staffordshire landowner who ordered the release back into the wild of all the animals kept in his private menagerie after his death. That resulted in five red-necked wallabies being released into the surrounding countryside where they successfully bred.
Could this see a trend for British gardeners in ditching the lawnmower for the humble Australian wallaby? A garden full of wallabies is not a usual sight in rain-soaked Britain, but if the idea catches on it could prove to be Australia’s most useful export yet – well almost!
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