LOWELL, Ind. — An animal from the “land down under” is on the loose in northern Indiana.
It’s not a kangaroo, but it’s close! It’s a wallaby — the kangaroo’s smaller, similar-looking cousin — and it’s been hopping around near Lowell since Wednesday, when it escaped from a traveling petting zoo.
The Times of Northwest Indiana says the zoo was passing through the area and stopped Tuesday night at the Harvest Thyme Pumpkin Patch. The zoo’s owner, Dan Wallen, posted a photo of the wallaby’s empty cage on his Facebook cage Wednesday morning.
Local veterinarian Pat Leininger told The Times that the wallaby is “scared to death at this point” but doubts that the animal is dangerous.
Anyone who sees the wallaby can call Dr. Leininger at (219-696-6300) or contact local police using the non-emergency line.
According to National Geographic, wallaby is a marsupial native to Australia. Wallabies are usually small, but the largest can reach 6 feet from head to tail. Like its cousin the kangaroo, it carries its babies, called joeys, in a pouch. It has powerful hind legs and a large, powerful tail, and the wallaby uses them to battle predators as well as other wallabies.
(Photo by Dave Watts/JACANA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.)
