Kangaroo in Texas? Deputies didn’t believe it either

MIDLAND, Texas — Officers in West Texas who answered calls about a kangaroo hopping along a road helped capture the pet and return the animal to its owner.

Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter says deputies thought dispatchers were crazy when calls came in Tuesday night from people who said they saw a kangaroo.

“They were questioning the call, you know, ‘Kangaroo? In Midland, Texas? There ain’t no kangaroos out here; Surely, it’s got to be something different,’” Painter said. “And they thought dispatch was crazy, so they went out there and sure enough, they found it.”

Patrol car video shows some of the chase along a rural highway near Midland.

“I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff, but I’ve never seen anything like that,” Ryan Murray, who drove up on the scene, told NewsWest 9. “I saw all these cops, and I was wondering what was going on. And then I saw the silhouette of a little baby kangaroo.”

Deputies helped corner the 4-foot-tall kangaroo as the owner offered a treat to the animal, then grabbed the pet.

Painter said Wednesday that Midland County has an exotic animals ordinance and owners must notify the sheriff’s office. Authorities are checking to see if a pet kangaroo falls under that category.