A kangaroo that escaped from its owner on New Year’s Eve has been safely recovered, German media reported on July 9. The marsupial was found on Thursday, July 4, in Lüdersdorf, a municipality that is northwest of the city of Hamburg, according to RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), a German media outlet. The kangaroo had escaped from Sternberg, a town located more than 50 miles away from Lüdersdorf, the report said.
The man who found the kangaroo, which another German outlet said was named “Skippy,” kept him in a corral and his owner was notified of the recovery, RND reported. It was “unclear” where Skippy went during the more than six months he was on the loose, RND reported. Skippy’s specific kangaroo species was also not reported.
In March, it was reported that Skippy had been seen numerous times since his Dec. 31 escape from his enclosure but that all attempts to capture him had been unsuccessful. Skippy’s owner, Jens Kohlhaus, kept “several” kangaroos, according to Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), a German public broadcaster. “Kohlhaus has already tried several times to catch the animal, but this has proven difficult,” the report said — as Skippy is capable of jumping “12 meters [about 36 feet] far and three meters [about nine feet] high.”
Police were called several times in March when Skippy was spotted near the town of Sagsdorf, Germany, according to NDR, but each time the animal managed to escape before their arrival. Skippy, Kolhaus said in March, is not dangerous and enjoys treats like carrots.
Kangaroo escapes have made news across the world in recent months. In May, a pair of kangaroos escaped from a farm in Lufkin, Texas – but unlike Skippy, the two kangaroos were recovered within hours of their escape. Also, a video produced by the Lufkin Police Department responding to a call about a loose kangaroo went viral on social media.
Kangaroos are indigenous to Australia and New Guinea but are legally kept on farms and as pets in parts of the world. They enjoy warmer climates and eat grass, ferns, leaves, and fruit.
