Former Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones was on hand to help capture the Australian national rugby union team’s namesake as it crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Farr-Jones was among early-morning drivers who spotted the marsupial as it hopped down the busy road just before 5am on Tuesday.
The rugby legend helped round up the animal, which was taken to Taronga Wildlife Hospital by mounted police, where it remains under observation.
While a wallaby hopping down Sydney’s most iconic landmark is an unprecedented sight, experts say the animals are growing in number around the city and increasingly coming into contact with humans.
Former Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones (pictured) was on hand to help capture his team’s namesake as it crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge
The marsupial was taken to Taronga Zoo for testing and observation after it hopped down the busy road just before 5am
‘The police were trying to capture it as you would on the bridge, and they were having trouble so I just did my best to help them,’ Farr-Jones told 2GB.
‘It was really unusual because you just didn’t want cars coming in from behind and knocking into it.’
The wallaby remains at the Taronga Wildlife Hospital, where it was assessed on Wednesday morning.
The hospital said in a statement the wallaby is still in a serious condition due to the stress it experienced.
Taronga Zoo senior veterinarian Dr Larry Vogelnest said the animal did not suffer any broken bones, but may need a couple of days to recover from the ordeal.
‘We would like to release him as soon as possible, when he is well enough,’ he said.
‘We have not yet confirmed where, we will find a suitable environment around Sydney but not too close to the city.’
Dr Mark Eldridge from the Australian Museum Research Institute said wallabies are becoming more common in the city, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
While a wallaby on Sydney’s most iconic landmark is an unprecedented sight, experts say the animals are growing in number around the city (pictured is the wallaby)
‘In the past few decades … we have seen swamp wallabies slowly spreading back into suburbia, especially in Sydney’s leafy north,’ he said.
‘The patchy network of bushland remnants found across northern Sydney provide them with suitable shelter sites and food, while nearby suburban parks, gardens and backyards provide additional novel foraging opportunities.’
Dr Eldridge said just as people find it hard to get off freeways, animals such as wallabies can also find themselves trapped by human-built barriers.
Kristy Harris from the New South Wales Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service said a wallaby was seen at a Chatswood mall in 2016.
Initial reports suggested the wallaby may have come from Cammeray Golf Club, but staff said they have never seen one on the course.
Dr Mark Eldridge from the Australian Museum Research Institute said wallabies are becoming more common in the city (pictured is the wallaby)
Initial reports suggested the wallaby (pictured) may have come from Cammeray Golf Club, but staff said they have never seen one on the course