Police rescue escaped kangaroo from backyard pool in Summerville

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dorchester County Animal Control clarified Thursday morning that the runaway animal, originally called a wallaby, is actually a red kangaroo.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) — Summerville Police and Dorchester County Animal Control officers teamed up Wednesday to rescue a wandering red kangaroo that had escaped from its home.

A neighbor reported the animal hopping around in their backyard, prompting the response from authorities. Officers gave chase briefly before it jumped into a swimming pool, where it was safely rescued.

With help from Dorchester County Animal Control, officers transported the kangaroo back to its home on a nearby property.

The animal belongs to a nearby resident who also owns another kangaroo and a wallaby, authorities said.

An area veterinarian takes care of the animals and their space gives them more room to roam than the kangaroo enclosure would at Columbia’s zoo, police said.