Wayward wallaby nabbed in California yard

Neighbours surprised by "kangaroo" hopping down street.

A wayward wallaby was captured on Tuesday after it hopped into a San Bernardino County backyard. San Bernardino County is about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. Someone called police early in the morning and said, "Hey, there's a kangaroo jumping down our street," Sgt. Doug Wagner said. County animal control officers grabbed the 3-foot-tall marsupial by the tail. Wagner said it appeared to have been domesticated and it didn't put up a fight. A local resident believes that that the wallaby was a neighbor's pet. Animal control officials said the animal wasn't a kangaroo but a similar, smaller animal called a wallaby. Several species of wallabies are native to Australia and New Guinea. The wallaby was taken to an animal shelter in San Bernardino until it is claimed by the owner. Sgt. Wagner said it was unlikely that the owner would come forward because the wallaby was probably smuggled into the area. "Chances are nobody's going to claim it," he said. "I don't know the law, but you can't even have ferrets so I can't imagine you're allowed to have kangaroos." If the wallaby remains unclaimed, it will probably be sent to a zoo, he said