25th May 2011

LYME REGIS: The day I rugby tackled and captured the Lyme wallaby

By Paul Crompton

AS LYME Regis’ fire chief, Virgil Turner is used to being in the limelight.

But even he was surprised at the media attention when he rugby tackled and captured the wallaby running wild in the town.

Virgil Turner sprung into action after residents and district council workmen cornered the animal, which made national headlines last week when it was caught on camera in a local garden.

Animal expert Andrew Collier, from Axe Valley Bird and Animal Park, said he believed it could be an escaped pet due to its tameness and ease with people.

The Australian marsupial, dubbed the ‘Lyme Regis Wallaby’ by residents, is now safely re-housed in the park with 15 other wallabies.

Mr Turner, who received a couple of bruises during the rescue, said: “My friend John King rang me saying there was a wallaby loose and I thought he was taking the Michael, then I realised he was being serious because I’d seen there was a wallaby in the town on the news, so I went to have a look,

“When I got there it was in the garden near the garage in Church Street and before I realised what was happening it started to bolt so I just jumped on it. I just dived on it and grabbed its back legs and tail because I knew it could be dangerous and me and the council workers put a jacket over its head to keep it calm and held it down for about 10 minutes while John went and got a cage.

Petrified

“I don’t know why I did it; at the end of the day the poor thing was petrified and I felt sorry for it.”

Lym Close esident Sally Emm had been keeping her eyes peeled for the animal after a neighbour told her it had been spotted that morning (Friday).

Mrs Emm said: “I knew there was one. I had discussed it with my husband this morning after a lady had told me she’d seen it, so I kept my eyes peeled.

“I saw it on the beach and in the cemetery and stopped it from getting run over on the road. Then it went in to Lym Close and then it went back out to main road again and then me and a couple of West Dorset council workers managed to get it into the drive of 32 Church Street.

“We managed to corner it behind their car. We tried knocking on their door but there was no answer so John from Self Drive Boats turned up and gave us a hand and then Virgil Turner came to the rescue and rugby tackled it. Then John found a dog cage and we put the wallaby in that and then called the Axe Valley Bird and Animal Park.

“I think it’s great, a very unusual sight. It must have come to Lyme thinking it was in Australia because it is such a beautiful sunny day.”

She added they were hoping to start a donation fund to be sent to the Axe Valley Bird and Animal Park to pay for it to stay because after all it was now “The Lyme Regis Wallaby”.

Mr Collier, who runs the park with wife Jayne, said: “It could be that someone had it as a pet, which is not unheard of, and it got out or escaped from a collection similar to ours because it’s pretty quiet. It seems like it’s used to people so I don’t think it’s completely feral.

“It could be used to people because it’s been around people’s gardens for sometime but it’s settling into its new home here with the other wallabies.”

PICTURE: CAGED Fire chief Virgil Turner pictured with captured wallaby, watched by assistant harbourmaster Mike Higgs and boatman John King