Survey shows wild wallaby population likely 1,000

Previous estimates suggested more than 100 wallabies were living wildly on the island

The latest survey of wallabies on the Isle of Man has found there were likely to be about 1,000 of the animals living in the wild.

A new review counted a further 297, taking the known minimum population to 869 when combined with a 2023 review of the those in the Ballaugh Curraghs area.

The latest study of the population, which has grown since several escaped from a wildlife park in the 1960s, used drone-based thermal imaging to survey other areas.

Carried out by BH Wildlife on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (Defa), the report said the total number is likely between 950 and 1,050.

The latest project was carried out over six days in April and tracked the wallabies across 988 acres (400 hectares), from moorlands to forests, using the technology mounted on a drone.

The non-native species was detected in the Sulby Glen, Tholt-y-Will, Ramsey Forest, and the western side of Ballaugh Glen areas, but none were observed in the Central Valley or Cooildarry.

The study found there was strong correlation with wallaby presence being linked to "cover of some sort", primarily woodland.

It also noted the marsupials had gathered in group sizes ranging from one to 44, but the "densities" typically tailed off with increasing distance from the Ballaugh Curragh.

'Future conversations'

Leigh Morris from Manx Wildlife Trust, which helped to facilitate the survey, said previous estimates "ranged from scores, to hundreds", which meant the latest survey was "an important first step to better understand the number of our feral wallabies".

"Our aim is to ensure that future conversations... and any potential need to manage the population are appropriately informed,” he said.

Defa Minister Clare Barber said the department was "now looking at the best ways to assess the health of the wallaby population".

"Once we have that data, we can evaluate the impact on the local environment and determine whether any changes in management are necessary,” she added.

The new census also recorded 245 feral goats, including kids, in the area of Bulgham Bay in Maughold.

They were found in fields, cliff faces, along the Manx Electric Railway and down amongst the rocks along the shoreline.