The hunt for a kangaroo on the loose in Ontario continues this weekend.
Global News received confirmation from the park supervisor at the Oshawa Zoo that the animal had been spotted again Friday night, but evaded capture.
Haiqa Tahir, who filmed the attempted capture Friday night, said she feels concerned for the kangaroo.
“I felt bad for it, I don’t know what’s happened to it overnight,” she said.
The wild animal was first spotted in Oshawa early Friday morning by Team Chelsea, a local pet group.
Durham Regional Police said members attended the scene of the sighting but were unable to locate the kangaroo.
Officials advised the public against interacting with the animal and said not to approach it if someone saw it.
Questions began surfacing when local zoos confirmed all of their marsupials were accounted for.
Durham police said while they were not involved in the hunt for the animal Friday, they knew where it came from. A driver delivering two kangaroos to Quebec on Thursday had stopped at Oshawa Zoo to let them “stretch their legs.”
This is when the kangaroo allegedly made its escape.
Cameron Preyde, park supervisor at the Oshawa Zoo, told Global News on Saturday that thermal imaging drones were being used to find the lost animal, though nothing had been spotted as of 2 p.m.
A growing concern, according to Preyde, is the temperature.
“Thankfully we’re having a bit of a warm spell,” he said. “Kangaroos can handle a temperature up to about -10, but (below that) it gets very risky.”
Preyde also said the Toronto Zoo has agreed to step in if capturing the kangaroo becomes difficult.
“What we’re hoping is that the kangaroo will make its way to somewhere where somebody sees it,” he said.
Preyde said anyone who spots the animal should contact the Oshawa Zoo or the police immediately.
“This is just a terribly unfortunate situation that we are trying to deal with,” he said.
— with files from Isaac Callan and Gabby Rodrigues
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
