Wallabies escape from private land in Clough, County Down

Two wallabies have escaped from privately-owned land in County Down and police have warned the public not to approach the animals.

The adult female wallaby and her joey have been missing since Friday but police were notified on Monday.

The animals escaped from land on the Knocksticken Road outside the village of Clough.

The mother is described as just over two feet in height and her baby is white.

Officers have advised residents in the area that if they see the animals they should ring police on 0845 600 8000.

Almost two years ago, a wallaby went walkabout in Tyrone after burrowing out of his enclosure.

He turned up a few weeks later in County Londonderry.

Wallabies, like kangaroos, are marsupials and both species are native to Australia.

They are closely related, but adult kangaroos are larger than wallabies.

They can also be identified via their teeth, which are different as kangaroos mainly eat grass while wallabies mostly eat leaves.