Another kangaroo sighting reported in Wisconsin

Stock image of a kangaroo

A kangaroo was spotted yesterday near Malone, WI, eating berries off of a tree, according to the Fond Du Lac Reporter.

The kangaroo was in a yard along U.S. 151 in Fond Du Lac County and was reported to the Fond Du Lac County Sheriff’s Office Monday evening after it hopped off toward a field.

Trail cams and a bucket of water were set up near the berry tree, according to the sheriff’s log.

Wisconsin has a curious history with kangaroo sightings.

A 150-lb red kangaroo was captured in Iowa County, Wisconsin, on Jan. 3, 2005, according to an article in the Dodgeville Chronicle. When no one came forward to claim it, the marsupial was sent to Madison’s Henry Vilas zoo.

About 75 miles from the Iowa County kangaroo capture, a Mausten man hit and killed a kangaroo with his truck on December 7, 2005, according to an article in the Free Republic. The Free Republic reported the kangaroo was apparently living in a culvert on the man’s property.

In September 2017, a kangaroo was found wandering in Kenosha County and was returned to a nearby farm, according to a Milwaukee Journal article.

A family’s pet kangaroo escaped in Shawano County and was killed two days later in a hit-and-run, according to a November 2018 Facebook post by the Shawano County Sheriff’s Office.

In June 2019, a motorist reported seeing a kangaroo hopping across an Interstate 41 pedestrian bridge in Grand Chute, according to Grand Chute police.

The Special Memories Zoo, located about 6 miles from where the Grand Chute kangaroo was spotted in 2019, reported a baby kangaroo stolen in 2015. However, they posted on Facebook that the kangaroo that was sighted was not theirs. The zoo has since closed.

Wisconsin is one of only three states in the U.S. with no restrictions on exotic animal ownership. The lax regulations make it easy to acquire an exotic animal, with few repercussions when they escape.

Kangaroos are known to travel long distances with an average speed of 15 mph. Several roadside zoos are located within a 50 mile radius of where the kangaroo was spotted yesterday including Shamba Safari, Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary and Glacier Ridge Animal Farm.