Watch: Texas Police Capture Loose Kangaroo After Street Chase
What to know
- Waco police officers responded to a call about a loose kangaroo and chased it down before capturing it by the tail, according to video footage.
- The animal was safely returned to a local wildlife rescue, and no injuries were reported.
- Authorities have not said how the kangaroo escaped; officials note kangaroos are not native to Texas and are typically privately owned exotic animals.
Source The Dallas Morning News
A kangaroo was seen hopping through Waco on Monday morning before officers chased down the animal and captured it by its tail, a short video from the Waco Police Department shows.
Waco police received a call just after 10 a.m. about a kangaroo on the loose.
A brief pursuit followed before officers safely captured the kangaroo and returned it to a local wildlife rescue, police said. No injuries were reported to the kangaroo or the officers.
Authorities did not immediately release additional details about how the kangaroo escaped.
In April, Carlie Butler of Abilene spotted a kangaroo on the Interstate 20 service road near Gordon, a town about 98 miles west of Dallas. She posted a video of her encounter with the marsupial to TikTok, which received over 20,000 likes at the time.
The video left some people in the comments wondering if a wild kangaroo population exists in the Lone Star State. Rebecca Hamlin, president of the North Texas Wildlife Center, confirmed that kangaroos do not roam free in Texas.
Wildlife officials previously told The Dallas Morning News that the North Texas Wildlife Center regularly receives surrendered or abandoned exotic animals, including tortoises, monkeys, peacocks, bearded dragons and guinea pigs.
Kangaroos are not native to Texas, Hamlin previously said. Roughly 70 marsupial species live in the Americas — mainly in Central and South America — though the Virginia opossum is the only marsupial native to North America.
Marsupials, including kangaroos, are known for carrying their young in pouches while they continue growing. Most marsupials range in size from a squirrel to a medium-sized dog, according to the Britannica website.
Under the Texas Health and Safety Code, owners must obtain certificates of registration for certain animals, including large cats, bears, coyotes, jackals, and primates.
Texas Parks and Wildlife also requires permits for some exotic snakes, alligators, fur-bearing animals, non-game wildlife and endangered species.
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