Arizona wallaroo hullabaloo recalls llama drama as pet marsupials hop off

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/19/arizona-wallaroo-marsupial-pets-escape

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Authorities say one or two wallaroos, a type of kangaroo, have escaped from a north Tucson home.

Related: Llamas on the lam recaptured with lasso after Arizona escape

The Pima County sheriff’s department spokesman, Tracy Suitt, said a person reported that at least one pet wallaroo went missing on Monday afternoon.

Department spokesman Tracy Suitt told the Guardian a person reported that one wallaroo, named Boomer, ran away on Monday afternoon. Another wallaroo, named Bouncy, is missing but might still be on her owner’s property.

“Boomer, the male, is for sure on the go,” Suitt said. “I spoke to the owner this morning, and he’s still not sure if Bouncy, the female, is still on the property.”

A video captured one of the kangaroo-type animals hopping down a far north Tucson street. It was shot by a person who spotted the lost wallaroo but couldn’t catch it.

Both wallaroos live on a 20 acre rural property in Pima county, where the owner keeps several other pets including seven emu and turkeys, Suitt said. When asked if it was normal for people in the area to keep kangaroos as pets, Suitt said: “It’s not common. That’s for sure.”

Suitt said the wallaroos had lived in Pima County for about a year. It is legal to own them, and the animals are not aggressive, but just a little nervous around people, he said.

The sheriff’s department is not actively searching for the lost wallaroos, but has put out messages asking anyone who spots them to call 911.

The breakout mirrors one by two llamas who escaped from an assisted-living facility in the Phoenix area in February, causing a social media spectacle as live video footage showed the animals eluding authorities numerous times.