Small Town, Big Story: Kangaroo On The Loose

This one might surprise you; it’s about an escaped kangaroo in the middle of Wisconsin.

For a few months, I had been seeing posts from a local petting zoo about two young kangaroos named Kenny and Chesney. They had become a bit of a local attraction, making appearances at places like the hardware store and the bank, and seemed to enjoy meeting people all over Juneau County. They wore diapers, were still small enough to be held, and were often photographed lounging on their owners’ couch inside their owner’s home at Sunshine Farm Petting Zoo.

Then one day, Chesney was in his outdoor pen when he got spooked and managed to escape.

Locals followed the search on Facebook for three days. Before long, news outlets caught wind that there was a kangaroo loose in the Wisconsin woods, and Chesney ended up appearing on news broadcasts as far away as Alaska.

Well-meaning people headed out to search, though it sounds like all of the excitement may have made the poor fella even more nervous. Drones with thermal cameras were brought in, and we all got to see trail camera photos of Chesney hopping through people’s yards and woods.

Michael S. Sr. posted this photo in a Necedah Facebook group and noted: "Funny Thing This Morning. I would never in my lifetime expect to see this." He also noted the location, as many people did when spotting the kangaroo, so that Chesney’s owner could locate him.

After three days on the loose, the stars finally aligned, and Chesney was located and came close enough to be brought back home.

It is amazing what can bring people together. Some saw it as an entertaining local story. Others jumped into action to search, while some defended both the kangaroo and his owner online.

Small towns can be funny like that.

Just when you think nothing ever happens, a kangaroo gets loose and sends the whole community into a frenzy.

Chesney had quite the vacation, but he is now back home, safe and sound, presumably eating his favorite junk food again.

Julie C. posted this in the Necedah Facebook Group on April 1st, just a few days after Chesney was brought back to his home, and noted: "The other night I was thinking about the last few days events, about Chesney the kangaroo, how this sweet little guy mesmerized our community, our world. It touched alot of people, and brought out the best of everyone. It renewed my faith in humanity. I finally met the owner of this wonderful petting farm. She has such a wonderful place for her animals. So much love and dedication I did this one app, loaded a picture of Chesney, told it how I felt about our community, and our World...and it came out like this... Let me know your thoughts on this. The owner know I'm showing this."

I had a design idea of my own. We all know Sasquatch is the undisputed hide-and-seek champion, but Chesney was giving him some competition for a couple of days. Check out the shirt here.

https://juneaujaunts.etsy.com/listing/4487478612/kangaroo-sasquatch-hide-and-seek-tee

Along the way, I  learned a few kangaroo facts I never expected to know. Kangaroos can jump up to 25 feet in a single leap, 6-10 feet vertically, and reach speeds of around 35 miles per hour. They cannot walk backward very easily, and I think their feet are somewhat creepy-looking.  Those jacked kangaroos you see who look like they want to fight are most likely male red kangaroos who can stand 6’ tall and weigh 180 pounds. Kangaroos are social animals and often live in groups called mobs (which seemed fitting if you had read some of the Facebook comments).

So, next time you are driving through the middle of nowhere and think you see a kangaroo… maybe you did.