No one knows how he got here, but “Rocky the Kangaroo,” as he was affectionately named, was caught by police officers after being spotted in Texarkana, roughly 180 miles east of Dallas.
Earlier this week, Texarkana police officers were surprised to find a kangaroo roaming Spring Lake Park. Fortunately, the officers were able to temporarily apprehend the bouncing marsupial to gather photographic evidence before he could make a break for it.
Rocky, as he is now known, was not alone. His family was also reportedly hanging out in the park. In fact, according to NBC 5 DFW, people in the area say they have seen the same family of kangaroos frequenting the local park in the past.
A Facebook post from the Texarkana Texas Police Department said police did not initially believe reports that a kangaroo was roaming around town.
“If someone told you that they’d just seen a kangaroo running around Spring Lake Park, what would be your first thought? We got just such a call about one today and admittedly thought ‘Yeah, right. That’s crazy!!'” read the post on the department’s official Facebook page.
It turns out, however, that there were multiple kangaroos in the area.
“He was there enjoying the park with his family… Guess we really HAVE seen everything now,” the post continued.
While owning a kangaroo is legal in Texas, they are not native to the Lone Star State. Still, the local climate makes Texas an attractive destination for those who want to keep marsupials as pets.
The origins of Rocky and his family remain a mystery. For now, it appears the family is enjoying their stay in Texarkana.
