Escaped Kangaroo Blocks Virginia Highway after being Chased by Hunting Dogs

Summary:

NELSON COUNTY, VA – Local law enforcement sprang into action Saturday morning after a kangaroo was spotted on a major highway in central Virginia. The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to the intersection of Thomas Nelson Highway and Oak Ridge Road near the unincorporated community of Arrington after receiving a report of a kangaroo blocking traffic.  Once on scene, deputies quickly determined the animal was injured. Photos appeared to show blood on the kangaroo’s paws.

Officers safely steered the kangaroo off the roadway and onto nearby private property before tracking down the animal’s owner, according to authorities. “When the owner arrived, he shot the animal with a tranquilizer dart to subdue the animal,” Nelson County Sheriff Mark Embrey told Fox News Digital. With assistance from Virginia Conservation Police Officer Andrew Sundra, deputies were able to safely capture the injured kangaroo. The animal was returned to the owner and is expected to make a full recovery, according to the sheriff’s office.

Embrey said the female kangaroo had escaped from a private property several miles away after being chased by local hunting dogs. The dogs frightened the animal, causing her to leap over a containment fence. At the time of the escape, the kangaroo was carrying her baby. Embrey said the baby joey was also recovered and safely reunited with her mother.

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