Local authorities responded after a kangaroo was spotted on a central Virginia highway Saturday morning.
The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office received reports about the animal impeding traffic at the intersection of Thomas Nelson Highway and Oak Ridge Road, close to Allington.
“You just never know what you’ll encounter in Nelson County,” they noted, sharing a photograph of the unusual highway visitor in the snow.
When officers arrived, they found the kangaroo was injured, with what appeared to be blood on its paws.
Authorities managed to guide the kangaroo safely off the road and onto nearby private property while they contacted its owner.
“Upon the owner’s arrival, he used a tranquilizer gun to subdue the animal,” Sheriff Mark Embry explained.
With the help of Virginia Conservancy Officer Andrew Sandra, they successfully captured the injured kangaroo. The sheriff’s office indicated it would be returning to its owner and is expected to recover fully.
“The kangaroo is back with its owner and should be fine,” the sheriff’s office added. “Thanks to everyone who helped with this truly unusual situation!”
As it turns out, the female kangaroo had escaped from a property a few miles away, frightened by local hunting dogs that pressured her into jumping a fence.
It’s worth noting that at the time of the incident, she was carrying a joey.
“So, after she jumped the fence, she dropped the baby not far from her home,” Embry mentioned. “The hunting dogs were on her tail.”
The kangaroo managed to outrun the dogs by the time she reached the highway.
Later in the day, the department shared a tongue-in-cheek post: “Today we have already taken down one ferocious kangaroo. Let’s not make Saturday night an adventure in the outback, friends.”
This incident resembles a similar one from last April, when an unruly kangaroo led to the closure of an interstate in Alabama.
The animal was eventually captured by state troopers and its owner after being involved in a minor car crash.
