Can you have a kangaroo as a pet? This Texas town may have more than 1

A kangaroo was spotted hopping down a road in Cleveland on Wednesday, Jan. 28.

When police in Cleveland, Texas reported for duty Wednesday, they likely never suspected their day would involve wrangling a wild animal.

The community within the Greater Houston metro area was hopping, as a kangaroo was spotted near FM 1010. Local police and animal control, along with “some good Samaritans,” collaborated to rescue the kangaroo, according to the Cleveland Police Department.

“We are now working with Liberty County Livestock Deputies to local the owner,” a statement from Cleveland PD said, asking anyone with information to contact the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office at (936) 336-4500. “Thank you for your help.”

While the department turned off comments on the post, well over 100 users had engaged with the post by Thursday morning.

Users were able to comment on posts about the Australian outback incident by local news outlets.

“Those Texas jack rabbits are huge!” one user joked.

“He’s looking for Crocodile Dundee,” another wrote.

Other comments suggested this wasn’t the first time a kangaroo had been spotted jumping around the neighborhood. After a user asked if this could be “Rowdy the kangaroo who went missing awhile back,” another said they had contacted Rowdy’s owner. Rowdy is a male kangaroo, the user said, and the animal spotted was a female.

This, of course, begs the question: How many kangaroos are hopping around this town of just under 7,500 people?

Yes, Texas allows pet kangaroos

The Lone Star State is one of 13 states to allow people to own kangaroos. No federal permit is required to have the exotic pet; however, local ordinances can prohibit such ownership.