SEPRONA officers seize four undocumented wallabies from an enclosure in Madrid’s Villanueva de la Cañada

FOUR wallabies were confiscated last Tuesday, October 17, in the Madrid municipality of Villanueva de la Cañada.

The owner of the enclosure from which the marsupials were removed reportedly lacked the required documentation to prove their identity and possession.

Officers belonging to the Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA) of Majadahonda carried out the operation. They were accompanied by veterinary personnel from the Department of Environment, Agriculture and Interior of the Community.

On October 7, two of these same animals had to be captured by officers belonging to the Seprona del Escorial Patrol along with Guardia Civil officers from the Boadilla del Monte post.

Their presence was detected by security personnel in the vicinity of the University Camilo José Cela, who promptly informed the security services.

The animals previously escaped from their enclosure in February 2022

After escaping from the same enclosure back in February 2022, the wallabies caused an accident. On that occasion, they had to be tracked down, captured, and returned to their place of origin, according to larazon.es.

As a result of their initial escape, SEPRONA officers launched an investigation to determine the situation of the animals. It was quickly verified that the owner of the facility lacked the necessary permissions to run a zoological centre and also could not provide documentation of the animals.

A statement from the General Directorate of the Guardia Civil reported that the appropriate file was initiated by the authorities which culminated in the confiscation and subsequent removal of the animals.

What happened to the wallabies?

The wallabies were tranquilised and relocated to Madrid Faunia, a botanical garden in the city that covers about 14 square hectares. Owned by Parques Reunidos, SA, it is organised into areas representing different ecosystems, such as jungle, polar regions, and the African forest.

As stated in Law 4/206 of July 22, relating to the protection of pets, wallabies are animals whose possession is prohibited outside registered zoos or authorised enclosures.