The Manx SPCA was called out after a wallaby – which had been shot in the head – had to be put to sleep because of its injuries.

The otherwise healthy animal was discovered with severe head injuries.

The charity said the marsupial had managed to hop, and then collapse, onto the driveway of a property in Glen Audlyn.

A MSPCA spokesman said: ‘We rushed him to the vets where he was put to sleep due to the extent of his injuries.

‘As the law stands, hunting and shooting wallabies is not illegal on the island because they are classed as a non-indigenous species and therefore they are not protected by the Wildlife Act 1990.

‘However, this poor animal was shot with a firearm that wasn’t powerful enough to kill a medium sized mammal outright – a firearm designed to shoot rabbits and pheasants.

‘We need to make sure whoever did this understands the ramifications of using an inappropriate firearm, and the pain and suffering they have caused.’

They added: ‘If you know who this might be, please help us to prevent this happening again.

‘Better still, help us promote wallabies as a wonderful addition to our Manx countryside, and allow natural selection to control the population.’

It is unclear who fired the shot, and whereabouts the shooting occurred.

Last summer debates around whether it was time to control the wallaby population were ignited as one was spotted roaming around Ramsey.

At the time, Manx Wildlife Trust stated that it believed there needs to be policies in place to manage the wallaby population in the island.

Since the first wallabies escaped the Curraghs Wildlife Park in the 1970s, they have been breeding and roaming around wetland areas and plantations.

However, in August they were seen venturing further into residential areas, with reports of wallaby sightings in Laxey and even Onchan.

Leigh Morris, chief executive officer of Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT), said at the time: ‘We’ve had lots of conversations about the wallabies for years.

‘The conversation needs to be had about managing them because currently there are no policies about wallabies in place.

‘They are an exotic species that’s eating local flora and trampling nesting birds.

‘If they keep breeding, there will be a negative impact on local flora and fauna before we can protect it.’

Currently there is no monitoring or watch process set up to be able to track the location of wallabies in the island, however estimates suggest the population is now well into four figures.

They do not have any natural predators in the island, and so their population has been allowed to explode.

After the Ramsey sighting, we surveyed people for their opinions on the issue. Views were divided, with some saying they are a good thing for the island and should be left to roam, and some arguing for tighter controls.

Following this latest incident, many on social media are calling for our island’s wallabies to be given protected status.