There’s a rogue kangaroo on the loose in Austria, baffling local authorities and residents who have spotted the marsupial bouncing around the lush meadows some 14,000 kilometres from its native homeland, Australia.
Authorities in Kirchschlag are trying to round up the wayward roo that has been spotted hopping around in forests and meadows in the northern Austrian town, the BBC reported.
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Marsupials, like kangaroos and wallabies, are of course, normally found in Australia.
“It sounds unbelievable, but it’s true,” a local police officer told Agence France Presse (AFP) on Monday.
Over the weekend, Ferdinand Kaineder posted a video on Instagram showing a kangaroo hopping through a rolling field. Kaineder noted the video was originally recorded by Kirchschlag resident Thomas Kaufmann.
According to AFP, police have yet to identify the breed of kangaroo while authorities still work to locate its owner.
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“We have called all the zoos and kangaroo breeders around us, but no one is missing a kangaroo,” an unnamed police officer told the news agency. “We hope the owner will come forward.”
This isn’t the first time a kangaroo has been on the lam in Austria. In 2016, authorities had their hands full when a two kangaroos escaped a private enclosure in Styria, according to local media. In 2015, another kangaroo escaped a private enclosure and lived off the land for nearly four months.
Austria has had a long running unofficial slogan “no kangaroos in Austria” playing on the fact the country is often confused with Australia. The slogan is typically found on souvenir shop merchandise.
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