Loose pet kangaroo keeps police hopping — again — in Colorado

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Chasing a loose kangaroo is getting to be part of the job for police in a southwestern Colorado city.

Irwin, the pet kangaroo, wasn't difficult to nab when he got loose last fall in Durango. Still quite young at the time, he leaped into a bag similar to a mother kangaroo's pouch.

On Monday, Irwin got loose again. A police caller was worried he might get hit by a car.

This time, Irwin had grown too big for a bag.

“That technique wasn’t going to work. The officers were debating whether they needed to lasso it or what the plan was,” police Cmdr. Nick Stasi said Tuesday.

Officer Shane Garrison — described by Stasi as a “farm boy” with animal-handling experience — figured it out after following Irwin down an alley and into a backyard.

Irwin was still small enough, about as big as a medium-sized dog, for Garrison to corner him near a house, sneak up close and grab him. He carried the kangaroo to a police truck’s back seat and shut the door, as seen in a different officer's body camera video.

Kangaroos are among the unusual but legal animals to keep in Colorado.

Irwin was taken home to his family in downtown Durango, a tourism hub of 20,000 residents that is known for mountain tours on a narrow-gauge train.

Stasi wasn't sure how Irwin got out, but this 2-year-old pet will get only harder to catch.

By age 4 or 5, kangaroos can grow taller than most men and weigh 200 pounds (90 kilograms). They can hop much faster than a person runs and deliver a powerful kick.

“We want all pet owners to be responsible with their pet, how they keep it and keep it safe,” said Stasi.