N.D. Authorities Seek Wayward Wallaroo

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

BISMARCK, N.D. — Law enforcement authorities on the lookout for criminals also are keeping an eye out for a missing kangaroo. Corey Botner, who lives southwest of Bismarck, said he was feeding his pet wallaroo, a member of the kangaroo family, when it got away Tuesday night.

Botner said the wallaroo, named Joe, was frightened by his new St. Bernard puppy. Joe is about a year old, around 4 feet tall with brown and black hair.

Lynn Jacobs, an animal warden at the Bismarck Police Department, said someone reported seeing a kangaroo Monday night. She worried that people might not believe what they see.

"They might think they got a whiff of something,"she said.

Botner also has a 7-month-old female wallaroo, named Jenny. He was planning to build a pen for the two animals.

Terry Lincoln, the director of Dakota Zoo, said wallaroos can handle warm weather but need shelter from the cold. He said they are easily stressed, and may become paralyzed and die when approached.

"Stress just hits them like a rock,"Lincoln said.

John Schreiner, the owner of Schreiner Farms in Dallesport, Wash., confirmed Botner purchased his wallaroos from his exotic animal ranch. He said there are more than 60 species of kangaroos, and wallaroos are the only medium-sized animals in the family. They eat food similar to what deer eat, he said.

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