How many are they ? Eurelian fauna specialists are unable to determine the number of Bennett’s wallabies that frolic in the wild of the Eure-et-Loir department. The residents of the communes of the Eure valley, including Maintenon and Lèves, have several times reported the presence of wallabies, identifiable by their successive leaps, in the forest areas, on the edge of the plain, on the roads and even in the centre- town !
Escaped from a park
The wild animal expands its territory every year. A specimen even found itself prisoner in the garden of a house in Mignières, on November 1, 2021 (our editions of November 2 and 3, 2021). He was captured by the team of the La Tanière zoo-refuge in Nogent-le-Phaye to join his congeners. “It’s a female who had a baby in her pocket,” said the boss, Patrick Violas. These wallabies seen in our department all come from the zoological reserve of the Château de Sauvage d’Émancé (Yvelines).
A wallaby discovered by a family in their garden in Mignières
In 1999, a dozen marsupials had taken advantage of a breach in a wall, caused by the fall of trees during the unprecedented storm, to flee. During the first years, these mammals reproduced, living in the local undergrowth and meadows, before spreading towards the forest of Rambouillet (Yvelines).
42 km in 23 years
Some headed for the Eure valley. And 23 years later, a wallaby was captured in Mignières. A town located 42 kilometers from Émancé, with a unique status in France. It provided a certificate to motorists, having struck the wallabies, on the presence of these animals. About fifteen shocks took place each year. Marc Giraud (writer, naturalist and animal chronicler) residing in Saint-Piat, is not surprised by this colonization: “First of all, it should be specified that it is a wallaby and not a kangaroo which is larger. Trained, the kangaroo measures between 1.50 and 1.80 meters while the wallaby is rather between 50 and 90 centimeters. »
Then he adds: “I am not surprised. It has been known for years that they move in the sector. A taxi driver told me that she had seen one in Saint-Piat. “And to confide with humor:” She thought that I was not going to believe her. Which reassured him about his mental state. »
premium The wallaby recovered in Mignières by the zoo-refuge La Tanière is a female who is expecting a baby
The resident of Mignières had also made her husband septic when, having breakfast, she had seen a wallaby in her garden. Her husband thought of a joke before discovering the animal. Ironically, in 2018, Marc Giraud wrote a book, A kangaroo in my garden, how nature changes.
The animal specialist explains the movement of these macropodids (large feet) to conquer new territories in Eure-et-Loir: “There is nothing to worry about. The wallaby does not compete with other species and replace it. He’s a herbivore. It can eventually cause crop damage. »
Some data.
Longevity. The wallaby can live 12 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity.
Speed. Its leaps are made at 4/5 km/h and it can reach 75 km/h.
Weight. It weighs up to 50 kilos.
Gestation. It lasts 30 to 40 days. The female is able to stop the growth of the embryo and restart it. The female has two vaginas.
Cut. It measures between 50 and 90 centimeters, the tail between 70 and 75 centimeters.
Birth. It measures 2 centimeters, the size of a kidney bean. It looks like a pink caterpillar with clawed legs. He joins the pocket of 4 teats following the path of saliva traced by his mother.
Milk. The female can welcome a new born, then a second a few days later and produces two different milks, for the young and the eldest.
–
A resilient animal
The marsupial can continue to proliferate because it has no predator: “It is too massive for a fox”. However, he can be the victim of a fatal collision with vehicles. Deer-coloured, agile, discreet and quick, the wallaby is rustic. It can withstand temperatures of -30 degrees. You can attend boxing sessions between two wallabies, either young people who let off steam, or rivals for a female. Marc Giraud knows the fauna well: “When a new species appears, either it does not resist, or it acclimatizes without disturbing the ecosystem, or it takes the place of another species. »
250 laboratory rabbits recovered by the zoo-refuge La Tanière, near Chartres, and offered for adoption
The animal expert also thinks of the invasive exotic species threatening congeners such as the Louisiana crayfish, the bullfrog, the Florida turtle and the American mink: “In England, the gray squirrel has replaced the red squirrel. The green ring-necked parakeet, escaped from cages at Roissy, has spread to the Paris region. She will arrive one day in Eure-et-Loir. »
The Wild Park closed in 2016. Opened to the public on June 6, 1973, the Château de Sauvage zoological park, founded by ornithologist René Famous, closed on November 15, 2016. The 40 ha reserve, with 300-year-old trees and a river, hosted birds (mallard, teal, swan, pheasant, jabiru, crane, goose, pelican and flamingo), emus, antelopes and wallabies living freely among the 20,000 annual visitors.
Faced with new standards imposed by the state, owner Gabrielle Berhnardt closed the park where some animals are still present. Two businessmen would have thought of proposing the acquisition of this site, classified in 1982, which Louis XIV had given to one of his daughters.
–
Thierry Delaunay
–
