After the Daily Telegraph newspaper’s magazine said Manx wallabies were an ’invasive alien species’, we went to Strand Street in Douglas to find out how the Manx public see them.

Far from the negative headline of ’overfed, oversexed and over here’ everyone we spoke to likes our furry marsupials.

’Like little cuddly kangaroos’ was how Elaine Harrison, aged 69, from Douglas described the wallabies.

She said that when her son goes back to Australia, where he now lives, people are fascinated that we have our own little population.

Her friend Patti Brown, 68, of Jurby, said that she enjoys taking her to granddaughter to go wallaby spotting in the north of the island.

She added that she often sees the marsupials bouncing around the north of the island including down the roads.

And that she thinks there would be a niche tourist market involved for people going on tours or nature walks to see the animals.

Andrew Dawson, 46, from Port Erin, said that he has never spotted a wallaby in the wild, but appreciated that they have become ’part of the Manx culture’.

Mr Dawson said: ’They’ve been on shown on television in documentaries, people seem to enjoy them being here and they don’t seem to be a menace so let them continue to roam free.’

He added that the wallabies are like some of the other weird and wonderful animals that come to the island or call it home including basking sharks, loaghtan sheep and Manx cats.

Another couple who have not spotted the Manx wallabies, but said they would love to see them are Adrian and Smita Collins, who live in Port Soderick.

Mr Collins disagreed with the Telegraph view and said they weren’t ’aliens or pests’ but rather ’a nice addition and something different for us and our tourists to see’.

Mrs Collins said the only potential issue with them would be if the population suddenly increased.

She added: ’Some of them do just bounce across the road, they might be hurt colliding with the cars or damage them.’

Mrs Collins also said that she’d like to see the basking sharks when they return to our waters in the coming weeks.

John Turner, 54 from Douglas, told the Examiner of an experience he had with one of the wallabies as it hopped in front of his car. He said: ’They are bigger than you think and, compared to most of our animals, they are bigger than probably most of them.

’I’m glad I didn’t hit it, it would’ve been very sad and yes also could have damaged the car. It really is a bit idiosyncratic that they’re here, but they’ve been here for so long, they’re basically Manx now.

Mr Turner said the wallabies fit in the island as they were slightly quirky and have their own nature, making them perfect for the Manx life.

He added: ’We have Manx cats and the loaghtan, which and now we’ve got the wallabies too.With their tails, they basically have a third leg, so maybe it was just meant to be for them to be here.’