John Mitchell, Western Force manager. Photo / Dean Purcell
Australian rugby players are under investigation for allegedly mistreating rare wallabies on a holiday island.
Players from Western Force, managed by former All Blacks coach John Mitchell, are accused of throwing and trying to catch the rabbit-sized wallabies, known as quokkas, in milk crates.
The tame creatures are
found almost exclusively on Rottnest Island, a popular holiday destination off the coast of Fremantle, Western Australia.
Police and Rottnest Island authorities are investigating claims that players from the Super 14 team were involved in hammer-throwing quokkas during a team bonding session last weekend.
Yesterday more detailed allegations of the players' behaviour emerged after a tourist who was staying on the island stepped forward.
Dan Andrews, from Sydney, said he saw drunken players, some dressed only in their underpants, terrorise dozens of quokkas last Friday night.
One player reportedly picked up a quokka by its tail, whirled it around his head and then released it as if throwing a hammer.
Mr Andrews told the Sydney Morning Herald he and some Irish tourists repeatedly pleaded with players to leave the quokkas alone.
The chairman of Western Force, Geoff Stooke, said the allegations were serious and players would be quizzed again about their behaviour. A Rottnest Island spokeswoman, Penni Fletcher-Hughes, said four players would be fined A$100 ($115) each for handling the quokkas. There was not enough evidence to proceed with more serious charges.
