In an event that was more out of the Australian outback than the mountainous terrain of Colorado, the Durango Police Department found themselves in an unexpected wildlife pursuit. A red kangaroo, native to the shores of Australia, made a break for freedom in the town of Durango, leaving police officers to embark on a capture mission. In a scene caught on body cam footage, officers chased the fleet-footed marsupial through the streets, a humorous anomaly they likely never expected when signing up for the force.
According to a post on the Durango Police Department's social media, the kangaroo led officers on what they called a "high-speed — or hop-speed — chase," showing a slice of levity in the unexpected task of marsupial pursuit, as reported by Denver7, highlighting the non-native creature's jaunt away from its home, and the successful effort to wrangle it by the local police. The kangaroo reportedly had escaped from its family, a detail made clear in the body cam video shared by the officers.
In that shared video, an officer is heard laughing, evidence of the surreal nature of the situation they found themselves in. The officers may be trained for many scenarios, but a kangaroo chase is certainly not in the everyday playbook. Eventually, after what can only be deemed an unusual game of hopscotch, the kangaroo was safely apprehended and returned to its owner. KKTV shared the video and the police department's light-hearted social media post which read, "No worries, the long-legged friend was released to their owner... and we're seriously reconsidering cardio," adding, "Who knew kangaroo wrangling was part of the job? No Roos were harmed in the filming of this video."
This incident not only gave the police an unexpected workout but also provided the community with a lively topic of conversation. As CBS News reports, the story highlights that the kangaroo had "escaped from its family" before officers managed to "capture the kangaroo that ran away from home." Although the event was somewhat perplexing, it concluded without any harm coming to the adventurous marsupial or the residents and members of the Durango Police Department. This proves that even in Colorado, life can take unpredictable turns.
