Golfers got a surprise during their round this week when the latest in a line of exotic animals loose around Marlow hopped its way onto the course.

Mike and Rose Paine from Marlow sent this picture of a Patagonian mara, which was spotted at Harleyford near the midway point on the course. 

The south American native is not the first unusual visitor to the area, with a wallaby, capybara and two coatis also roaming the town in the last two years.

Mike, who runs a cafe on the course with his wife, said: “Spotted this Patagonian mara next to the Halfway House on Harleyford golf course Marlow yesterday.

“He came up to the halfway house where we feed the golfers, we think he could smell the bacon butties.”

Mike said he had heard the mara was also seen in Spittal Street in Marlow town centre this week.

Lady McAlpine, whose Fawley hill estate is home to a host of exotic species, confirmed the mara belonged to her.

The animal lover said that they are not kept in cages and that fences do not easily stop maras, which are from the rodent family and are native to Argentina.

Unlike the coati which was on the loose earlier this year and captured in a Marlow garden, Lady McAlpine said maras are more intelligent than coatis and often come and go from the estate.

She said: “We often see them sauntering off through the main gates in the morning and watch them hop back as the sun goes down.

“They mate for life and if there is one, there will probably be a mate somewhere near. They only have one child a year so not likely to mess up the local eco-balance.”

The mara, which is herbivorous and looks like a large rabbit, was found in open and semi-open habitats in Argentina, including large parts of Patagonia.

Have you seen the mara or its mate? Let us know peter.grant@london.newsquest.co.uk