The saga of a wallaby on the loose in Cudahy came to a curious head when the local police department reunited the wandering marsupial with its owner. Yesterday, a FedEx worker spotted the animal, complete with a harness and leash, and reported the sighting to the authorities. According to WISN, Officers Alex Cramer and Riley Tetzaff managed swiftly to locate and capture the wallaby using a snare.
The Cudahy Police Department took to social media in an attempt to find the wallaby's owner. Their efforts proved successful when they posted a picture on Facebook with the wallaby at the station, which led to owner identification. In a report by TMJ4, the department advised the owner to reach out and, following a deleted post, required proof of ownership to claim their unconventional pet.
The owner, Linda Rowster, was able to reclaim her pet, named August, a few hours following the initial report. Rowster presented August, shy of his second birthday, as a pet bought from Seven Mile Fair the prior year, indicating that his escape was an isolated incident. She elucidated on August's domestic life, emphasizing his time spent indoors despite the occasional outdoor excursion. However, despite this harmonious reunion, Cudahy authorities, pursuant to local ordinances, informed Rowster that keeping a wallaby is illegal in the city.
In a touching case of human-animal bond, "He is definitely not wild. I did not catch him out of force, I bought him from a breeder," Rowster passionately told CBS 58. She found herself, nonetheless, confronted with the grim reality of a health department order: to quickly find a legal home for August or surrender him. Rowster, determined to keep her marsupial family member, indicated her intent to fight the order, claiming she was uninformed of any legal barriers to wallaby ownership when she initially purchased August.
