From the Vizela outback (By VMTV)
An unexpected visit from an Australian native to the Portuguese city center of Vizela broke the Friday morning routine of residents.
An alert was sounded at 9:30 a.m. after “a kangaroo was detected on the road” of Rua Dr. Abilio Torres in Vizela Municipality, Braga District, reported Pais ao Minuto (June 16).
The marsupial hopped past the Forum shopping center and neared the Camara Municipal 600 meters (1,969 feet) away before a GNR (National Republican Guard) military team and the local government’s veterinarian cornered it next to a factory, according to SIC Noticias (June 16).
Quickly, it was ascertained that the kangaroo belonged to a private citizen, who had all the appropriate legal documents to keep it at home. The animal had escaped from its owner.
Because the kangaroo, which can measure as tall as 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) and weigh 90 kilos (200 pounds), did not cause any damage or accidents, it was returned to its owner after receiving treatment and an identification microchip.
It’s not the first time a runaway kangaroo has taken to Portuguese streets.
Seventeen years ago, a kangaroo hopped around Sintra, a town about 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of Lisbon, for three days before it was captured by police, who initially did not believe the calls, reported Spiegel International (July 5, 2006).
The kangaroo also belonged to a private resident. However, the head of a small construction company did not have the proper documents. He faced possible fines for keeping the unlicensed kangaroo and other exotic animals. Four other kangaroos, ostriches, deer, rabbits and sheep were transported from a farm to a nature reserve as authorities assessed whether any of the animals belonged to endangered species among other issues.
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