[BITList] Fwd: Good grief

[John FELTHAM]

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AAP
May 11, 2009 6:51pm
WALLABIES are replacing lawnmowers in some British country gardens as
the latest way to keep large lawns and fields well clipped.

Breeders are reporting a surge in demand for the Australian
marsupials, which happily munch away on grass and sell for up to £1000
($1970) each.

Landowner Richard Sheepshanks is one of many people on a waiting list
for a pair of wallabies, which he hopes can help maintain his four
hectares of land in Suffolk, England.

"I have a wife, four children under the age of five, and we already
have a menagerie with seven dogs, five sheep and four peacocks," he
told The Times.

"I could use sheep to keep down the grass but they are messy and stupid.

"We have a walled garden separated from the main house which has a 25-
foot (7.6m) outer and 10-foot (3.05m) inner wall but it's a bit wild
and the grass needs keeping down.

"The wallabies will live there and be kept away from the dogs, which
can easily stress them.

"I am sure in time, though, that they will get used to the dogs and
everyone will get on famously."

Trevor Lay, who runs Waveney Wildlife in Suffolk, is now breeding 35
wallabies a year to keep up with demand.

"It's crazy," he said.

"To be honest, if I had 100 I could easily get rid of them."