Campaigners say they remain concerned about the future of a declining colony of wallabies, despite assurances from the new owner of the Scottish island they inhabit that they are not under threat.
Kirsty Young, the former host of Desert Island Discs, and her husband Nick Jones, 58, have been accused of planning a cull on Inchconnachan, which they bought for £1.6million, in a deal announced last month.
The couple have submitted plans to create a “world-class” habitat and tourist attraction on the site, which is recognised as an area of special scientific interest, as well as a short-term holiday home.
Earlier this week they released a statement via a representative saying they were committed to the future restoration and improvement of the native woodland and had no plans to eradicate the wallabies.
However, their reassurances do not seem to have allayed the fears of campaigners who are already concerned that the colony has been reduced from 60 to around seven.
An online petition, entitled Save the Wallabies of Loch Lomond, signed by 1958 people, is now calling on the Scottish Government to intervene and pass legislation to safeguard their future.
According to reports the couple intend to act on advice by conservationist Chris Packham and relocate the wallabies.
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Craig Morrison, who is among the campaigners, says the island management plan states that the long term plan for the island is for “non-native species population” including flora and fauna to be reduced to zero or close to zero.
He said: “The report also states that “up to 60 wallabies are thought to roam the island” yet in documentation submitted with the planning application, the new owners estimate a population of just seven, which highlights the need to protect these wonderful creatures.
“Historically before previous culls the population was much larger. Now even if we take the new owners at their word and not the documentation submitted with the planning application the fact that such a plan is being considered highlights the need for the Scottish government to protect the wallabies.”
Mr Morrison, who lives in Oban, said he fulfilled a long-held wish to camp on the island last year.
He said: “I’ve been following the situation for about ten years with a dream to go there for as long as that and last September I went over to the island and camped and what an amazing unique experience it was.
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“[It was ] so strange to see a wallaby hopping across a Scottish forrest.
“I personally don’t see what damage they are doing. They are restricted to a very small island.
“It’s one of the few places I’ve been in Scotland that is still brimming with wildlife, there is so much native wildlife there as well as wallabies.
He added: “The fact they want to build a holiday let is absurd.”
Scotland’s national conservation body says wallabies have previously been controlled on the island as they are a “non-native, invasive species that can cause serious impacts to young trees”.
A spokeswoman for Nature Scot said:”We are discussing with the new owners of Inchconnachan how best to protect and enhance this specially-designated woodland habitat, while looking at the impact of herbivores and invasive, non-native species on the island.”
Asked if the wallabies would be allowed to naturally die out she said: “That’s not really for us to say. There have been wallabies on the island for many years despite control measures in the past.”
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Mr Morrison has also raised concerns that the new owners might restrict or ban camping on the island.
However a spokeswoman for Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park said the current camping management byelaws, which restrict number, did not cover the islands on Loch Lomond and said there are no plans for any changes.
A spokeswoman for Argyll and Bute Council said the local authority would only intervene if there were any concerns for the health of the wallabies.
She added:”We have not received any concerns relating to this.The owners are stated as saying there are no plans to cull the wallabies.”
The Herald contacted Mr Jones’ company for comment but no one responded to our request.
The wallabies were introduced to Inchconnachan island by Fiona Gore, Countess of Arran in the 1940s,
Iain Sheves, factor for Luss Estates, has previously said: “If it comes down a decision between rare native species, which are perhaps better served by being on an island because of predation issues, and a non indigenous population of creatures which shouldn’t really be there then we’ve got to go with the native species every time.”
Wallabies are similar to kangaroos, but smaller in size.
They are most are active at dusk and at night and roam mainly on grassland eating bark from trees and shrubbery.
More commonly found living in Eastern Australia and Tasmania, another colony is said to be thriving in the Isle of Man following an escape from captivity in the 1960s.
They are usually found in a swampy wooded area of the Manx countryside known as the ‘Curraghs’ in Ballaugh, but there have been reports of sightings all around the Island.
The first reported sighting came from a supposed newspaper article in 1966, with details of a wallaby on the run from Curraghs Wildlife Park.
Manager of the park, Kathleen Graham, said the area surrounding the premises is a “great habitat for them” and it is thought that they originally escaped from the park.
She recalls seeing a newspaper report from 1966 detailing how a wallaby was on the run just a year after the wildlife park opened in 1965.
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