Police in North Rhine-Westphalia are used to corralling the odd loose
sheep, cow or horse, but this weekend's kangaroo was "definitely a
first", a spokesperson said on Monday.
The kangaroo has been taken to safety at a local animal park after it
was found on Sunday hopping across the road, yet no one in the area
around Kalkar in North Rhine-Westphalia has come forward to claim the
animal.
"We have received many tips as to where kangaroos are kept in the area,
though none of them have reported any of their animals missing," Kleve
police spokesperson Schmickler said.
"All of their kangaroos are home and accounted for."
Police got a call on Sunday regarding an exotic animal seen on
Römerstrasse, just outside of the town of Kalkar, 60 kilometers north
west of Duisburg. Upon arrival, police found a lone kangaroo.
"We didn't believe the call ourselves," a
police commissioner said. "But there really was a kangaroo, crouched
four meters from the street in the bushes. We secured the road, and then
it suddenly hopped quickly away."
The kangaroo managed a 100 meter sprint before the police hit it with a
tranquilizer dart.
"You really can't believe how fast a kangaroo on the run is – it ran as
fast as a racing dog."
Schmickler said a local veterinarian was also on hand to help take the
animal into custody.
It was obviously well cared for and well fed, "even a little fat," she
said.
"We're a very rural area here, and so we're often called to help with
sheep, cows or horses who have run off, but this was definitely a first
for our officers," Schmickler said.
Kangaroos can legally be held as pets in Germany, Schmickler said,
providing the home has plenty of space for them to hop around in.
As it waits for the owners to come forward, the kangaroo is being well
taken care of. Anyone missing a kangaroo is encouraged to claim their
pet by calling the Kleve police.
No comments:
Post a Comment