A WALLABY has been spotted hopping down a road near Marlow, just months after a Brazilian aardvark was on the loose.

The marsupial was captured on camera by Michael Sannwald in Benhams Lane in Fawley on Monday night.

He was driving home with his house mate, James Roydes, to Marlow from Henley when they saw the strange sight.

Michael, who is a photographer in his spare time, said: "I was driving down through these woods when I noticed this weird animal on the side of the road.

"I thought it was a rabbit or something to start with but then it started bouncing down the road."

The 27-year-old said as there was fencing on either side of the road the wallaby bounced along until he found an opening into Benham woods.

It is not the first time a wallaby has been spotted in Bucks.

In 2004 the Free Press reported on a sighting of a wallaby by a Marlow resident driving near Frieth.

Another wallaby sighting included one by Free Press columnist and actor Colin Baker in Lane End in 2001 and another that year near Cadmore Common.

At the time animal expert Trevor Smith, of Animal World, said it was not uncommon to see wallabies in this country and they have most likely escaped from parks or zoos.

Exotic animals seem to becoming the norm for the Marlow area as in February a Brazilian Aardvark called a coati was spotted by a group of ramblers in Fennimore wood/Moor wood between Frieth Road and Marlow Road near Blueys farm.

Unfortunately the coati was found dead on the side of Derek Road, Maidenhead days later.

And then in March the mystery of the coati seemed to be solved.

Lady McAlpine of Fawley Hill, between Marlow and Henley, told the Free Press she believed the animal belonged to a sanctuary on her grounds.

She appealed to the public for help finding a second of the creatures, which escaped at about the same time a year ago.

The estate houses an animal sanctuary which cares for creatures zoos can not. The wallaby was spotted on Monday next to the estate.

The Free Press got in touch with the estate to see if they could shed any light on the sighting but we had not yet heard back.

Katya Mira, spokesman for RSPCA, said they have not had any reports of wallabies in the area recently although they we do get reports of wallabies seen living in the wild from time to time.

She added: "It is thought they are normally escaped or abandoned pets, as there are anecdotal reports that there was a trend for keeping them as pets a while back in order to help trim lawns and have an unusual and quirky animal."

Wallabies are generally smaller and have a stockier build than a kangaroo.

They are most commonly found in Australia, in more remote, heavily timbered or rugged areas.