Wallace The Wallaby: Mountain Rescue volunteers join the search for missing marsupial near Lockerbie

ITV News

29-04-2025

Mountain Rescue Volunteers have joined the search in Dumfries and Galloway for a wallaby that escaped from its enclosure.
Three-year-old Wallace has been missing from Crazy Critters Experience, near Lockerbie, since Friday 25 April 2025.
The company provides animal education to visitors and workshops for disabled adults and young people in care.
Luke Mitchell, owner of Crazy Critters Experience, says he was told by a neighbour that a group of dogs were barking nearby after being let off the lead on Friday night.
Luke discovered Wallace was missing the next morning, he said: "I had gone round to say hello to all the animals and then realised Wallace wasn't there - I hit instant panic. It's been a search party morning to night everyday since.
"My theory is that he's somewhere nearby, most likely in a shed or hidden under something quite discreet.
"We've had thermal drones out and we've picked up on every thermal image, even as much as some of the cows pat. We've checked everything and there's nothing nearby.
"But the wallaby's behaviour is that they don't travel too far too quickly. The Mountain and Rescue team are out today with a drone. If we don't have any luck with that, I'm hoping to get a dog that can scent track."
Stewart Gibson, from Galloway Mountain Rescue team, said: "We're looking for any piece of colour or shape that looks unusual and doesn't fit in. We have got software which will take the video, download it and send it to the servers for analysis.
"It'll come back with grid reference and coordinates for anything suspicious, we can then send people to go and see if it's anything."
Luke has been hand rearing Wallace since he was a joey, he added: "Wallace definitely has personality. He's quite temperamental, for example if it's me going into his enclosure, I'll just say do you want chin scratches? He'll come right up.
"But if someone else went into his enclosure, he'd be darting off in a heartbeat."
Luke says the local community has been helping with the search, including gamekeepers who have brought their drones.
He said: "The power of social media, everyone has been sharing it everywhere in their local groups. The neighbours across the road have been amazing. They've been out searching with me morning to night at times.
"First thing they should do is contact Crazy Critters Experience. Let me know where you are and try to get a video if possible.
"Definitely do not try and catch him, you could scare him. Even if you didn't scare him, Wallaby's have quite delicate bones and it requires specialist handling."