A wallaby roaming the streets of Cornwall has died after being hit by a car.

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were alerted to reports of an injured wallaby on the road on the A39 near St Columb just before 10pm (BST) on Friday.

When officers arrived, they found that the wallaby had been hit by a car and unfortunately died. It was taken to a local animal hospital.

Newquay Zoo and Screech Owl Sanctuary confirmed that it was not one of their animals.

John Meek of the zoo said, based on footage posted on social media, that it was a red-necked wallaby that “could theoretically survive in Cornwall, but the only danger is cars.”

Danny Johnson, from Newquay, said he and his friends were driving towards the A30 late in the evening when they got caught in a traffic jam.

He said: “We’re trying to figure out what’s going on. One of my buddies gets out of the car to look and then we see these legs just jumping around.

“We were just confused. We had no idea what was going on. And suddenly police cars came – I had just started taking the picture … and then a kangaroo or a wallaby jumped towards us.

“It’s a bit of a shock really, because you don’t expect something like this, at least in Cornwall.”

Mr Johnson said he expected to see “a lost dog” but was “speechless” when the wallaby appeared.

He said: “We saw it and were really excited to see it because it’s not an animal you see every day.”

“Then we heard the news that it was accepted… that was definitely not good.

“It was sad, but there was nothing we could do about it.

“The police did their best, but at the end of the day, unfortunately, there was nothing they could do.”

Although the species is native to Australia and other Pacific islands, it is believed to be “established in the wild in Britain,” according to the RSPCA.

A spokesman for the aid organization said this was most likely due to wallabies escaping from captivity.

Anyone who sees a wallaby in the wild is urged not to approach it and to report it to UK Wallaby Sightings and iRecord.said the spokesman.

They added: “Anyone who finds an injured wallaby in need of assistance should observe the animal from a distance and call the RSPCA emergency number.”