Portuguese police on Tuesday captured a kangaroo that had been on the loose in suburban Lisbon for three days after escaping from a farm where it was being held illegally as a pet.
Police received the first report that a kangaroo had been spotted on the streets of Sintra, about 30km north-west of Lisbon, on Sunday morning but believed it was a mistake, police officer Pedro Nogueira said.
“The agent who took the call thought it was strange. He asked the caller to verify that it was actually a kangaroo,” he told state television RTP.
The runaway kangaroo, as well as three others found on the farm from which it had escaped, is now being held at a nature reserve near the Portuguese capital. Authorities will determine if they are an endangered species.
The farm held various other animals, including deer, ostriches, sheep and rabbits, in addition to the four kangaroos. Its owner, the head of a small construction company, faces a possible fine for keeping exotic animals without a proper licence. — AFP