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Did you know that aliens are living amongst us? It’s true - there are strange creatures roaming free in Britain…
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Take this ring necked parakeet…
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…or this mink!
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Or this wallaby.
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They’re three very different creatures with one thing in common.
In this country they’re all classed as aliens.
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It might make them sound as though they’re from outer space, but the world alien is given to any creature that lives in the wild in Britain but doesn’t come from here originally.
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All three animals are from countries many thousands of miles away.
The ring necked parakeet is from India. The mink is from north America, and the wallaby is from Australia.
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All three now live in the wild in the UK – which proves how brilliant they are at surviving, despite being thousands of miles from home.
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But how did these creatures end up in the wild here?
Well, a few years ago parakeets were really popular pets. As time has gone by, they’ve either escaped or people have let them go.
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Although they’re originally from India they’ve adapted brilliantly to living here – in fact it’s estimated that there are over 4,000 of them out there in the wild!
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There are 2,000 alone living in a rugby club near London – so if you’re in the south east any time, there’s a good chance you might get to see one!
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Mink like Michael here can be seen all over the country.
They were brought into the UK and kept for their fur. But over the last few years, thousands have escaped from farms up and down the country, causing havoc for animals and farmers wherever they go!
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Mink might not look like it – but they’re some of the most brilliant killers in the UK. They’ll use their sharp teeth and claws to prey on rabbits, chickens, guinea pigs – even pet cats!
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They’ll even bite people, which is why Stephen’s wearing gloves.
So if you ever see one in your garden, don’t go near it!
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But by far the most bizarre and the rarest of all these creatures is the wallaby.
They only live in the wild naturally in Australia.
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In this country they’ve been in zoos and private collections for years – but they’re great escape artists!
And a fair few have made successful bids for freedom and now live in the wild in the UK.
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Right now there’s a small group living on an island in Loch Lomond, Scotland.
They’ve been there for about 25 years, surviving on berries and fruit.
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They can even survive the harsh Scottish winter – it’s much colder than the winter in their native Australia.
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It gets so cold that the loch actually freezes over, and the wallabies on the island have been known to try to escape by skating over the frozen ice!
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If you’ve seen any of these creatures or any others that you don’t think belong here, e-mail us here.
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