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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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A shocking video posted on social media captured a kangaroo on the loose in a Florida neighborhood.
In a post to X, formerly Twitter on Thursday morning, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office wrote, "A Kangaroo? On the loose?" and shared a video of the incident where the animal can be seen hopping around from an aerial view.
"You read that right! Earlier this morning, our deputies responded to a call in Tampa for a loose kangaroo that had gotten trapped in an apartment complex's pool area (near Fowler Avenue and 56th St.)," the post said.
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In the video, someone can be heard calling 911, saying, "there's a kangaroo in my apartment complex."
As the footage continues, the kangaroo can be seen jumping around what appears to be an apartment complex, with a sheriff's department official saying, "complaint's advising there's a loose kangaroo in the complex."
Another law enforcement official can be heard saying, "it's kind of a large kangaroo, we got it closed into the pool gated area."
A spokesperson for the sheriff's office told Newsweek on Thursday that the initial call for the loose kangaroo came in around 4:27 a.m. local time from the "Arbor Pointe Circle (apartment complex) neighborhood in Tampa."
"Our patrol deputies, K9, and aviation responded to track down and were able to locate the kangaroo and get it into an enclosed pool area. Our agriculture unit then safely placed the kangaroo into the trailer, which is enclosed," the spokesperson added.
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In another post to X on Thursday afternoon, the sheriff's office said that the agriculture unit also helped capture the kangaroo and reunited it "with its owner after proper registrations for ownership were verified."
"The owners of the kangaroos (yes, they have another one) have the proper paperwork to own them," the spokesperson told Newsweek.
In August, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was falsely notified that a kangaroo was on the loose in Collier County.
According to WOFL news in Orlando, the Florida agency was informed of a "possible escaped kangaroo," but it was later revealed that the report was erroneous.
However, Thursday's incident was not the first time a kangaroo has been seen on the loose in Florida.
In 2020, The New York Times reported that a kangaroo owned by Anthony Macias escaped from a backyard in Fort Lauderdale.
"I was in a rush to take out the recycling bin to get to work and I didn't shut the gate all the way ... He decided to wander around the neighborhood," Macias told the Times in 2020.
According to WPLG Local 10 news, Fort Lauderdale Police Officer Robert Norvis assisted with the capture of Macias' kangaroo, saying the animal was "very friendly. We were able to get a rope around his neck and get him in the back of the car."
WPLG reported that Macias was charged with three misdemeanor counts, including failure to house a Class I animal in a safe manner. Macias was also charged with unlawful possession of wildlife, but he pleaded not guilty to the charges in 2020.
Update, 2/8/24, 3:46 p.m. EST: This article has been updated with further information from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
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