Florida

Runaway kangaroo found hopping around in Florida apartment complex

Residents with experience in exotic animal care can legally obtain permits to own kangaroos, which are classified as Class II wildlife, according to Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

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A kangaroo on the loose was caught by police after getting stuck in an apartment complex in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday morning.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said it received a report from a person claiming to have seen a Kangaroo hopping around their apartment complex in north Tampa, Telemundo Tampa reported.

"911 do you need police, fire, or medical," the dispatcher asked.

“I guess police. There’s a kangaroo in my uh apartment complex,” the caller replied.

Once at the scene, officers spotted the fugitive kangaroo in the apartment's pool area and caught it shortly after.

“I actually see a kangaroo. It's kind of a large kangaroo,” a police officer says on the radio. “We got him closed in the pool gate area.”

A video posted by HCSO on YouTube shows officers luring the kangaroo as a police helicopter watched from above.

Officers said the kangaroo had escaped earlier from its owner's home but it was later returned after HCSO’s Agriculture Unit verified proper registrations for ownership.

No injuries to the kangaroo or any people were reported.

Residents with experience in exotic animal care can legally obtain permits to own kangaroos, which are classified as Class II wildlife, according to Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

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