Hopes were high this morning that Wanda, the wandering wallaby, can be reunited with her owners.

As reported in the Gazette & Herald, the wallaby escaped from paddock near Marlborough on Wednesday, July 2, and has been on the run ever since.

There were door-to-door enquiries in Elcot Close and other parts of Marlborough as it was thought the wallaby - who is called Wanda, says Jess Pittams, whose parents own her - could be sheltering from the summer sun behind a garden shed.

At one point she was spotted from a canal boat at Wilcot, a couple of days after being seen bounding towards Pewsey by dog walker James Laughton and his Thai golden retriever Captain.

Farmer Gavin Davies was the first to photograph her as she bounded across a field at Stowell Farms near Marlborough. He posted on Facebook: "Get to see a lot of wildlife in this job, but this one was a bit out of the ordinary!"

A Facebook page - The Wiltshire Wallaby Watch - was set up and Pewsey music journalist Phil Brady posted yesterday that Wanda's whereabouts had been confirmed. 

"She is very happy hopping around in her new habitat," he said.

"I have taken some photos of Wanda and informed the owners."

He said today that penning her safely into an enclosure remained a problem but that she was at no risk.

"She is very happy where she is, away from any roads and with lots of food to eat," he said.

Runaway wallaby spotted bounding towards Pewsey