Images have emerged of the bizarre moment a wallaby is spotted in a UK street.
The animal was seen hopping around a housing estate leaving people astonished by the unlikely scene.
People in the area say police officers have been given the slip and RSPCA officers have tried to rescue the wallaby for days.
Strangely, though, no one knows how it came to be in the village of Chopwell, Gateshead, or where it came from.
Gareth Powell, 41, posted some footage of the marsupial outside his home.
He said: “I couldn’t quite believe it. We hope it doesn’t go on the main road.
"We were just getting my daughter ready for nursery and my girlfriend went into the spare room and she shouted through to have a look out of the window.
"I pulled up the blinds and there was a wallaby.
"I got my phone as I quick as I could and tried to film as much as I could.
"Apparently it's been on the loose for a few days and has been spotted down the woods at the bottom of the estate.
"The police and RSPCA know about it but they haven't been able to catch it - they're on a wild goose chase.
"I then saw it again later on at the entrance to the estate, near the main road so hopefully it's OK.
Red-necked wallabies have been in the UK for around a 100 years and were first imported from Australia for zoos and private collections
Although they are rare see, it is the second time a wallaby has visited this tiny corner of north-east England.
The Mirror reported in August how a wallaby was on the loose after escaping an enclosure - with Brits warned not to approach the runaway animal.
Two wallabies arrived into Glenpark Estate in County Tyrone, Belfast at the weekend but owner Richard Beattie says one of them became startled and sadly managed to escape.
Wallabies belong to the same "taxonomic family" as kangaroos though are much smaller in size - there are around 50 sub-species of wallaby and four kangaroo.
Richard told BelfastLive he has issued an appeal for anyone who may come across the wallaby to get in touch with him at Glenpark Estate.
“Two wee wallaby kangaroos came yesterday, they came about 3pm and we put them into the enclosure,” he said.
“One of them jumped over the enclosure and the last time it was seen was a quarter of a mile down the road from the estate. We’re still looking for it now.
“It happened in the middle of our Sunday carvery serving so it was all very busy.
"I got a call from the groundsman to say he was away.
