Wallabies and the Isle of Man

Red-Necked Wallabies (Notamacropus rufogriseus) escaped into the Ballaugh Curragh in the north of the Isle of Man in the 1960s from the Curraghs Wildlife Park. They are a large non-native animal, which originate from South-East Australia and Tasmania, but have adapted well to the Isle of Man's cooler climate. 

In March of 2022 MWT released a position statement regarding the wallabies and in January 2023 carried out the first accurate count of the red necked wallabies in the Ballaugh Curragh ASSI (Area of Special Scientific Interest) and Ramsar site. Ben Harrower of BH Wildlife Consultancy was commissioned by the charity to do the survey. Ben specialises in counting large mammals using a thermal imaging camera mounted on a drone. 

Two surveys, carried out across 400 hectares of the Ballaugh Curragh over two consecutive nights, gave an average number of 568 wallabies, a density of 140 per 1km². As the survey site included surrounding agricultural land, it is thought the density would be higher when the wallabies retreat into the ASSI during the day.

The full report has been shared with DEFA, Manx National Heritage, all Manx farming and conservation organisations, and is now available to the public below!