Wallaby tries to ‘play fight’ with police after going on the run

'A runner had his evening exercise take an unexpected twist last night when he spotted what he thought was a kangaroo on the loose,' says force

A wallaby has been captured after it was found six miles away from a zoo it escaped from, in the town of St Ives.

Cambridgeshire Police said the small marsupial was spotted by a runner, who initially thought it was a kangaroo.

The animal, which was unharmed, was “caught after taking a break” from play fighting with officers in a nearby garden and returned to farm and zoo park, Johnsons of Old Hurst near Huntingdon.

Police said in a Facebook post: “A runner had his evening exercise take an unexpected twist last night when he spotted what he thought was a kangaroo on the loose in St Ives.

“The curious critter was first seen in Ramsey Road just before 11pm, but was in fact a wallaby which had escaped from Johnsons of Old Hurst in Huntingdon at least 24 hours beforehand.”

Officers from the Rural Crime Action Team responded to the runner’s call to help the lost wallaby get home.

“His adventure was soon cut short but not before trying to play fight with one of the officers – he was unharmed. He was caught after taking a break in a nearby garden,” the force added.

“And just like Cinderella, he managed to get home just before midnight."

Wallabies, which belong to the same family as kangaroos, are native to New Guinea and Australia, with introduced populations residing in New Zealand, the UK and other countries.