Canada police catch runaway kangaroo by the tail

Police in Canada learned this week that one of the easiest ways to catch a kangaroo is to grab it by the tail.

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

The animal had been on the loose since Thursday after it escaped from its handlers.

At one point, it was seen running alongside a street on 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 on Monday morning, and said the kangaroo was found unharmed.

The animal was one of two kangaroos born and bred in Canada that were on their way to a zoo in Quebec.

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

But one of them escaped its handlers as they were being unloaded.

"This one jumped right over them," Mr Preyde said. "They lost control of it and it was able to just simply run right across into a bunch of farm fields."

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

Locals in Oshawa reported multiple sightings of the kangaroo. One local man was shocked to see it running alongside the road as he was driving his son to school.

He said he first thought it was a deer - a more common wildlife sighting in the area - but quickly realised that it was 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. For one, they are incredibly fast. They are also not food-motivated like other animals, so they cannot be lured in by food traps or snacks.

"They are also really good at being camouflaged, especially at this time of year when everything is brown," he said.

After hopping away from law enforcement for several days, police managed to spot the animal and capture it at around 03:00 local time (08:00 GMT) on Monday.

In a news release, Durham Regional Police said the kangaroo was caught when it stopped to take "a little break".

Despite that, police say the kangaroo surrendered "peacefully". It was then taken back to the Oshawa Zoo to be examined and fed.

Mr Preyde said it is now hanging out with a few other animals, keeping warm and eating a nice meal.

"I am very, very relieved," he said. "I will be getting much better sleep from now on, and I think everybody, kangaroos included, have earned a delicious snack and a nice nap."

Mr Preyde added that he has been " a bit overwhelmed" by the whole ordeal.

"I did not think that this would be a part of what I do," the Canadian park supervisor said. "But apparently it is, and that's fine."