A North Devon woman was left stunned after she stumbled across a wallaby on the side of the road near Barnstaple.
But as it turns out, the elusive hopper has been roaming the Devon countryside for the past three years.
Vicky Wilkins was driving home at around 9.30pm on Tuesday (July 21) evening when she came across the unexpected site.
Vicky told DevonLive: “I just grabbed my phone because I thought no one’s going to believe that I’ve seen a wallaby by the side of the road.
“I was concerned about where he’d come from and where he was going. I didn’t want to grab him and scare him off.”
The wallaby appeared remarkably unfazed by the encounter.
“My car just went up to him and he just sat there. He wasn’t scared at all.”
Soon after, Vicky contacted Exmoor Zoo and Combe Martin Wildlife & Dinosaur Park, to check whether either of them was missing a wallaby. She said neither was.
“I thought maybe it belonged to a private owner because he looked healthy and well-fed. It was just incredible to see.”
She later shared the video online in the hope someone might recognise the animal and reunite it with its owner.
However, as it turns out the mystery wallaby may be something of a North Devon regular.
Danny Reynolds, a partner at Exmoor Zoo said staff have known about the mysterious wallaby for years.
He said: “As far I’m aware, we are not missing a wallaby. But we do know about this one. It’s been living in the wild for about three years.
Danny described the wallaby as “very streetwise”(Image: Vicky Wilkins)
“We’ve made numerous attempts to capture it and every single time, even with a team of 15 people, it’s beaten us.
“You see it once and then you don’t see it again for months. It’s a bit like the Exmoor Beast, except this one poses for the occasional photo.”
Despite being native to Australia, Danny said wallabies are capable of surviving in the UK’s climate, particularly in wooded areas with plenty of food.
“They’ve lived in the Peak District and the Scottish islands for years. The winters aren’t as severe as they used to be and they can survive pretty well.”
While the wallaby appears healthy, zoo staff say it would ideally be returned to captivity if it can be safely caught, although that is proving easier said than done.
So for now, North Devon’s most elusive resident remains one hop ahead.