Do red-necked wallabies vote for Donald Trump?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382240)
Rockingham, Australia
November 6, 2020 1:43am CST
So – did my title get your attention? This discussion isn’t about the elections in the USA but about red-necked wallabies on the loose and thriving in the British countryside.
According to a recent news article, wallabies have been present in Britain for over a century. The original animals were escapees from zoos and private collections, and it seems they have bred up over time.
We don’t have this particular species (Macropus rufogriseus) in Western Australia. Wallabies are even more shy and timid than kangaroos, if that’s possible, so they aren’t seen too often. However, between 2008 and 2018, there were 95 confirmed sightings, with most being in the south of England.
You might be wondering about when is a kangaroo not a kangaroo but a wallaby. The most obvious distinction is the size. Kangaroos are much larger. Wallabies rarely weigh more than 20kg and rarely reach heights of 1m. Wallabies are shorter from the knee to the ankle, built for agility rather than speed. Their fur is more a mix of colours. The red-necked has a red wash across the shoulders. The teeth are different and wallabies don’t live as long.
Edit: Here is a link to the article.
This beautiful photo is from Wikimedia.
Attribution: benjamint, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
When you think of kangaroos and wallabies, you probably don't think of the temperate climate, unsettled weather and agricultural lands of England. Yet on such pastures, the red-necked wallaby has found a home.
19 people like this
16 responses
@LindaOHio (222534)
• United States
6 Nov 20
What a beautiful animal. Thanks for the information.
2 people like this
@GodServantme (1543)
•
6 Nov 20
theres a lot beautiful animal in US like bears , cougar ,puma I love to hug them
But I'm fine with stuffed toy2 people like this
@GodServantme (1543)
•
6 Nov 20
Oh. Really. The name of that kangaroo in the picture is redneck
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382240)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Nov 20
@GodServantme Yes, it's basically a small kangaroo.
1 person likes this
@GodServantme (1543)
•
6 Nov 20
@JudyEv redneck means poor white people in America commonly living in rural areas. Like mountain in Virginia and they find it racist
I just found it hilarious about the redneck kangaroo
It's a smaller version of kangaroo right
It's a smaller version of kangaroo right1 person likes this
@xFiacre (14790)
• Ireland
6 Nov 20
@JudyEv I had a friend who did that coming from Malawi, a tiny house snake of little consequence, but when he opened the plastic box when he got here the snake was gone. He, like me, was 14 at the time and his parents were making him return here for school and he didn’t like to part with the thing.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169479)
• United States
7 Nov 20
I did not think it was warm enough in the UK for wallabies and kangaroos.So this is interesting to me.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382240)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Nov 20
They exist in our mountains where there is plenty of snow so they must be reasonably adaptable.
@RebeccasFarm (91297)
• United States
6 Nov 20
Those Wallabees are lovely Judy. Are they not unique to Aussie land?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382240)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Nov 20
They originated here but some have been shipped to private or public zoos or wildlife parks. Some have then escaped or been turned loose.
@FourWalls (86755)
• United States
6 Nov 20
Such a cute animal! We have a zoo/park not too far from me called "Kentucky Down Under," and maybe I can go down there and watch the wallabies feed, mate.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (98033)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
7 Nov 20
They are so adorable. Thank you for sharing,
1 person likes this
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
6 Nov 20
Do they also have pouch? Looks beautiful too, and for us who are nit familiar with it, we could not recognize if it is a kangaroo or not.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382240)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Nov 20
They all look much the same, don't they? Yes, they do have a pouch.
@snowy22315 (209010)
• United States
6 Nov 20
Well you learn something new everyday. I didn't know they had wallabies in Britiain. Did you know we had pythons in the Everglades?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382240)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Nov 20
Yes, I've heard about the pythons in the Everglades. It seems they're more of a problem than the wallabies. 
