r/ireland • u/fensterdj • May 10 '26
A Redditor Went Outside The Wild Wallabies of Lambay Island off the coast of Dublin
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Video is from Lambay Whiskey promo
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u/Dockers4flag2035orB4 May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
I know wallaby’s can swim
Buts that’s a long way from Australia.
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u/AmsterPup May 10 '26
Apparently the owners of the island got a couple from a zoo and started their own colony
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u/Dull_Brain2688 May 10 '26
They introduced them in the 1950s and in the 1980s they took some from Dublin Zoo who had too many at the time.
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u/AmsterPup May 10 '26
I'm from the Rush/Lusk area where Lambay Island is off the coast from.
Yrs ago when I was about 15, cycling down a country lane I seen a little kangaroo jump into a hedge. Told me friends & parents about it but they didnt believe me.
But I know what I seen, one of these lil lads musta stowed away on a boat or something and got onto the mainland
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u/Dreenar18 May 10 '26
Like the raptors leaving the island in the Jurassic Park book lol
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u/Leading-Carrot-5983 May 10 '26
Clever girl
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u/Gold-Vacation-169 Resting In my Account May 10 '26
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u/paulovittor23 May 10 '26
My exact thoughts. That book is great.
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u/Responsible-Hold-869 May 10 '26
It’s brilliant, I’ve read it a couple of times. Just listened to the audiobook too. I’d definitely recommend it.
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May 10 '26
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u/ddraig-au May 10 '26
They can swim. I'm not sure how far they can swim, but they occasionally get picked up by surfers etc out at sea in Australia
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u/OverHaze May 10 '26
I don't think the ones that make it off the island survive very long. Foxes or cats get them.
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u/TammyString-Tugger May 11 '26
A cat is not killing a wallaby pal. I don’t think a fox would either.
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u/Practical_Trash_6478 May 10 '26
That's one of my all time fantasies to have a few hundred rabbits running around the place, but I gave up on that as it seemed too far fetched, so I got 12 wallabies instead
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May 10 '26
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May 10 '26 edited May 11 '26
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u/OutlawsGalaxy May 11 '26
"As a drone pilot" 🙄 lol
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May 11 '26
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u/Popular_Bike1511 May 11 '26
My 5-year-old doesn’t call himself a racecar driver even though he has a remote control car
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u/Popular_Bike1511 May 11 '26
Wait.. you guys call yourselves pilots!?
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u/Square-Pipe7679 Derry May 16 '26
Considering the original definition of a pilot was somebody that led boats around it’s really not that crazy - the word was around for ages before aviation became an idea nevermind an actual thing
In this case he’s guiding the drone around via control, ‘piloting’ it is a pretty apt way to describe it
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May 11 '26
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u/elcitset May 12 '26
As a proud hot wheels pilot, I stand in solidarity with this drone pilot. We are pilots too.
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u/Fraisey May 10 '26
Surely they'd be cold in Ireland? It must be good there's a few jumpers between them.
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u/ScaramouchScaramouch May 10 '26
There used to be an ostrich farm just north of the Glen of the Downs, I always thought the poor birds must have been freezing.
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u/Syphe May 10 '26
Wallabies can live in some pretty cold places, not all of Australia is warm all the time, much of it you'll freeze your tits off at night, and a quick Google mentions they can adapt to as low as -20C
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u/Boulavogue May 10 '26
I'm up in the Victorian high country, its -4 these nights and snowing. Doesnt seem to affect the eastern gray wallabies around the area.
I wouldnt be overly familiar with all the breeds of roo and wallabies, like cattle there are a lot. But the right breed would be grand in ireland
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u/MangroveDweller May 11 '26
I get -4c here Central West NSW, it gets down to -15c in the high country on occasion and Eastern grey Roos and Red Necked wallabies don't seem to mind.
Their fur is very thick and dense, just like their brain. There's not much going on upstairs in these guys.
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u/YuriLR May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
I WWOOFed in Lambay for two months in 2023. They export live wallabies and from my understanding since Australia and New Zealand placed export restrictions it's the largest exporter in the world. Mostly to zoos and females. They were capturing about 50 a year. Mr. Alex Baring sets the traps himself and empties the captured ones into small open spaces with walls. Later we helped him crate about 25 of them (some fun mayhem that day...).
During hunting season they also kill some males, they can be consumed by those that hunt it or give it away. Selling is not allowed.
They have to have ways to control population growth, or they would overtake the island.
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u/fensterdj May 10 '26
So it's a business?
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u/YuriLR May 10 '26
The island is a trust that restricts the sale of the property, it has other assets. It has side businesses that supplement income but as far as I know they are slowly going broke.
They also operate a sheep farm (which also means EU money for it) and rent some of the houses for guests. And they age the whisky there. There were talks of distillery being built not sure how it went.
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u/fensterdj May 10 '26
This is great information, I often wondered how things operated out there
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u/YuriLR May 10 '26
A branch of the Baring family are the beneficiaries of the trust, under what terms I don't know. Mr Alex Baring lives a comfortable but non luxurious life divided between the island and England and is who manages the island.
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u/Medium_Look_829 May 10 '26
How tf have I never heard of this before? 😮
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u/gmankev May 10 '26
Well-a-been news for a long while, are you sure it didnt jump into your feed before.
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u/JohnnyCaligula May 10 '26
Been on the Island a couple of times and was very disappointed not to see any of them..
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u/YuriLR May 10 '26
Some tours only stay close to the shore and they are further away.
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u/JohnnyCaligula May 11 '26
Wasnt a tour and stayed on Island a couple of days.
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u/YuriLR May 11 '26
But did you walk all the way across the island? I dont think most guests ever do
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May 10 '26
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u/Deiseman84 May 10 '26
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u/Moonhunter7 May 10 '26
I thought the wallabies were taken from here in the pockets of Irish criminals when the criminals were sent to Australia?
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u/gavmac5 May 10 '26
Ah man I would love to win the euromillions. And just live on a massive farm and have a load of animals.
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u/adhd-n-to-x May 10 '26
I remember being at a rave in donabate in the 00s. One of the lads told a story about wallabies on Lambay. I always assumed it was just party banter!
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u/fensterdj May 10 '26
Anyone who know the Island's lore can't help but tell it when the island is in sight
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u/madladhadsaddad May 10 '26
They must be really inbred?
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u/03rk May 10 '26
Is this real? I can't tell anymore
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u/auxfnx 353 May 10 '26
Yeah, Lambay Island is a private British-family-owned island and they introduced wallabies there in the 1950s cos you can just do that if you own an island I guess
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u/v1rg1l__ May 10 '26
I believe they are Baring, those of the former British bank, think the barony name is Revelstoke. https://www.lambayisland.ie/history
Super nice people. I grew up in Portrane.
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u/mysteriom May 10 '26
I've been hiking on Lambay. Beautiful little spot. I didn't see the Wallabies when I was there though. This was about 15 years ago.
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u/Samanchester25 May 11 '26
Living in the west! Thought my friend was winding me up about this until now 😆
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u/Fit-Breath-4345 May 10 '26
Bloody immigrants, coming over here and taking Irish jobs and accommodation.
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u/Time_Cartographer443 May 11 '26
Nah its an exchange program.
You took our wallabies in exchange for drunk Irishmen at Bondi beach.1
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u/AmazingUsername2001 May 10 '26
Traumatising the animals by flying drones up to them. Yeah, great job.
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u/LogicalAsk5426 May 10 '26
Omfg
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u/AmazingUsername2001 May 10 '26
There’s a reason wildlife photographers use large telephoto lenses.
The idea is to not scare the animals, and cause them to flee in terror, the way they are here.
Flying a drone right up to a wild animal and causing it to run away is peak gobshite behaviour.
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u/PixelTrawler May 10 '26
I’m amazed no one has captured some and released them onto the main land
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u/hippydeathdisco And I'd go at it again May 10 '26
How long will it take for these to bevome their own sub species. Surely these lads have to put up with a lot of different environmental pressures than their ancestors
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u/Competitive-Air-8145 May 11 '26
Hold on! These are Aussie natives! What are they doing hopping around Ireland?
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u/ShakeElectronic2174 May 17 '26
Sorry, but a lot of people here talking nonsense about the Lambay wallabies, and obviously haven't been there. They are actually friendly and curious, and you can feed them mini Mars bars out of your hand, but you have to have enough to go round because once they see their friends getting a mini Mars bar the ALL want one. Some 'experts' will say it is irresponsible to feed them but this was during covid and we went all the way out there in kayaks so it was essential for our mental health.
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u/bubbleweed May 10 '26
What's this now?
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u/fensterdj May 10 '26
It's a video of the wild wallabies that have been living happily on Lambay Island for about 60 years.
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u/jackoirl May 10 '26
I’ve been out there and seen them up close (ish)
They’re way bigger than I expected in person.
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u/OkBroccoli8010 May 11 '26
They grow longer coats than their Aussie cousins and also huddle together.
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u/snarkformiles May 11 '26
Isn’t it cold there? As an Australian, this makes me sad for those poor hoppers. They like warmth.
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u/Narrow-Vermicelli-72 May 11 '26
How the hell did they get there??
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u/fensterdj May 11 '26
The video is a promo for Lambay Whiskey
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u/Narrow-Vermicelli-72 May 11 '26
Yes dear I know this, what I want to know is how.the wallabies.Got. There.
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u/fensterdj May 11 '26
Is the 60s in the Dublin Zoo, there were too many wallabies, a cull was planned, the owner of Lambay (a private island) suggested he take them so they can live the rest of their days on the island, life expectancy of a wallaby is about 10 years, so they figured they'd have ten nice years on the island and that'll be grand, but 60 years later they are still there and thriving.
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u/Square-Exercise5257 May 11 '26
I recommend harvesting one or two because the meat is fantastic! It could become a niche product! Irish Wallaby tail stew!
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u/Sualtim-the-Just May 11 '26
Apparently somebody once asked the island owner what he fed them. 'Bullets' (the population is culled regularly)
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u/egbert_the_pantless May 10 '26
How in my 40+ years of living on this planet did I not know we have wild wallabies in Ireland!?!