This afternoon I have encountered a Wallaby on land near our home in Oxfordshire. It was next to a path and we walked up very close, firstly unsure what it was, but then observed it for six or seven minutes at a yard or so distance - which seemed not to worry it unduly. Eventually, as we approached, it hopped through the fence and into our garden. We followed it through and it hopped away into the undergrowth. It was definitely a Wallaby and I wondered how many other sightings had been made in the Oxfordshire area.
Hello, welcome to the forums avena. Sounds like you had a lucky encounter! I know that there are several areas in the UK where there are wallabies living, I saw one about ten years ago in the south-east. It's exciting to see one, as like you I wasn't expecting it!
I've never seen a wallaby in the wild, so you were very lucky to see one. I just did a bit of searching on google and apparently there have been an increasing number of reports of wallabies in Oxfordshire in the recent past.
We have approximately 40 wild wallabies here on the Isle of Man, they are believed to have originated from two sources; the release of a private wildlife collection, plus some escapees from our wildlife park (all more than 30 years ago, so they are truly wild now). A few weeks ago I was fortunate to have one cross my path in a wetland. The most memorable part of the encounter was the 'thud' 'thud' 'thud' as its back legs pounded the undergrowth as it disappeared.