maaxx.ca

Canadian police learned this week that one of the easiest ways to catch a kangaroo is to grab it by its tail.

This is what Durham Regional Police officers did after spotting a female kangaroo on the run for several days near Toronto, Canada.

The animal has been on the loose since Thursday after escaping from its owners.

At one point, he was seen running along a street in a video that has since made the rounds on social media.

Durham Regional Police shared the news of its capture in a post on X early Monday morning and said the kangaroo was found unharmed.

The animal was one of two kangaroos born and raised in Canada who were heading to a zoo in Quebec.

Cameron Preyde, the park supervisor at the Oshawa Zoo and Fun Farm, told the BBC the animals had to stop at his facility to rest, located about 72 kilometers (45 miles) east of Toronto.

But one of them escaped from his masters while they were being unloaded.

“This one jumped out at them,” Mr. Preyde said. “They lost control of it and it just went through a bunch of farm fields.”

The escape then sparked a four-day search and rescue mission that included Preyde and others from the Oshawa Zoo, as well as police and a local lost animal search group.

Oshawa residents have reported several sightings of the kangaroo. A local resident was shocked to see him driving along the road while driving his son to school.

He said he initially thought it was a deer – a more common wildlife sighting in the area – but quickly realized it was of a kangaroo.

“Who expects to see a kangaroo, especially in this part of the world,” Mr Rellinger said.

Kangaroos are notoriously difficult to catch, Mr Preyde said. On the one hand, they are incredibly fast. They are also not food motivated like other animals, so they cannot be attracted by food traps or snacks.

“They are also very good at camouflage, especially this time of year when everything is brown,” he said.

After evading law enforcement for several days, police managed to spot the animal and capture it around 3:00 a.m. local time (08:00 GMT) on Monday.

In a news release, Durham Regional Police said the kangaroo was caught while stopping to take “a quick break.”

Despite this, police say the kangaroo surrendered “peacefully”. He was then taken back to the Oshawa Zoo to be examined and fed.

Mr Preyde said he was now hanging out with a few other animals, warming up and eating a nice meal.

“I’m very, very relieved,” he said. “I’ll sleep much better from now on, and I think everyone, including the kangaroos, deserved a delicious snack and a good nap.”

Mr Preyde added that he had been “a bit overwhelmed” by the whole order.

“I didn’t think this would be part of what I do,” said the Canadian park supervisor. “But apparently it is, and that’s great.”