A WALLABY who hit the headlines and sparked a massive police hunt after being spotted on the loose has three new pals.

Wesley wreaked havoc in Strensall last October, causing a stretch of York’s outer ring road to be closed before he was captured and rehomed at Askham Bryan College.

He has now been joined by three more of the marsupials, native to Australia, and keepers say the additions have given him a new spring in his step.

Kate Maguire, lead keeper at the college’s animal unit, said: “He’s been quite shy while he’s been with us but now he seems to be coming out of his shell a bit more. His confidence is definitely growing.”

The new wallabies, a male and two females, were introduced to Wesley a fortnight ago and Kate said there was a chance of joeys, baby wallabies, in future. “We seem to have a new love interest in here already. They do seem to have separated themselves into pairs,” she said.

The quartet of creatures will play a role in educating students on a number of courses at Askham Bryan, including animal management and veterinary nursing.

A competition will soon take place among students to give names to the new wallabies, which were provided by Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.

Speaking about the response to Wesley’s new room-mates, Kate added: “There’s a lot of excitement about the new additions.

“Students are really looking forward to coming down and working with these joeys.”