Escaped kangaroo caught after punching officer

GRABBED BY THE TAIL | Police officers hold the escaped female kangaroo during its recapture in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. (REUTERS)

A kangaroo that escaped its handlers during transport to a new home was captured on Monday east of Toronto after a weekend in the wild, but not before delivering a punch in the face to one of the police officers who brought her run to an end.

The female kangaroo hopped over her handlers late on Thursday during a rest stop at the Oshawa Zoo and Fun Farm in Ontario, the park’s supervisor and headkeeper, Cameron Preyde, told CBC.

Videos emerged on social media on Friday of the marsupial, who was born in captivity, running along roads in Oshawa, a town on Lake Ontario about 60 kilometers east of Toronto.

Officers on patrol spotted the kangaroo at around 3 a.m. on Monday on a rural property in northern Oshawa, Staff Sgt. Chris Boileau told CBC Toronto.

They contacted the kangaroo’s handlers and grabbed it by the tail, as instructed, he said. The kangaroo punched one of the officers in the face during the capture, Boileau said.

“It’s something that he and his platoon mates will be remembering for the rest of their careers,” he told CBC Toronto.

The kangaroo, which was en route to a zoo in Quebec, received medical treatment and will stay at the Oshawa Zoo for a few days of rest, Preyde said.

“We’re going to keep her here for a little while longer, let her rest up, and make sure she is safe,” he said.