The “odd” discovery of a rare albino wallaby in thorny bushes in the United Kingdom — on the opposite side of the world from its native land — has led to a search for answers.

A member of the public came across the injured Australian marsupial near Dover, Kent, in southeast England, on Sunday local time, and called the RSPCA.

The male white wallaby had blood in its nose and back legs and was in poor health, according to the RSPCA.

It was believed to have been sitting in that spot “for a couple of hours”, said RSPCA rescue officer Wayne Baker.

“I gave him some water but it was clear he needed veterinary attention,” Baker told Kent Live.

“As we couldn’t get a vet to attend we lent on the expertise of our specialist CAST team who provided guidance on how to pick up the wallaby correctly by supporting the tail and chest.

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“He was then placed in a kennel and taken to a local vet’s for a check-up.

“The following day I transferred him to a local private boarding establishment where he is currently being monitored.”

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The Australian marsupial was found in thorny bushes. Photo: RSPCA

Baker said it was odd that the wallaby was loose in that area as there had been reports that a wallaby was caught last Friday near Dover.

There were some reports that the albino wallaby was someone’s pet and had first been caught last Friday after social media alerts and posters went up.

However, it may also have been an escapee from a local wildlife park.

Baker said the RSPCA needed to speak to the wallaby’s owner.

“We would like to speak to them as we need to establish how and where this wallaby is being kept,” he said.

“If the owner doesn’t come forward within 14 days then we will rehome the animal into a suitable environment.”

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “It is possible this wallaby is lost from or has escaped from a private property.

“They are not a native species and releasing one into the wild is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.”

The search is underway for the wallaby’s owner. Photo: RSPCA

Wallabies are known to exist in the British countryside, with an estimated 95 on the loose, according to a University of South Wales and University College Dublin study in 2020.

Most of the wallabies are red-necked wallabies and have been present in the UK for more than 100 years, according to the study.

They were originally imported for zoos and private collections and some managed to escape and survive, or were intentionally released during WWII.

“Wild wallabies continue to be recorded across Britain…with the occasional sighting in a garden, country lane, or along a motorway making local and sometimes national news,” said the report’s authors.

Albinism is a rare trait in the wallabies, estimated to affect around one in 100,000.

There is also a colony of white wallabies on Bruny Island, south of Hobart, that have thrived due to the lack of predators.