It was quite a bizarre discovery for police on Friday, as a man was seen walking with a wallaby along a Brooklyn boardwalk. The animal was taken away, as it is illegal to keep the marsupial as a pet in NYC.
This pouched marsupial somehow made it from down under all the way to the five boroughs — but that doesn't mean it was supposed to be here.
Police made the bizarre find on Friday in Brooklyn. Officers said a man was spotted with a wallaby on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island just after 5 p.m.
Owning a wild marsupial is illegal in New York City, so the officers seized the animal. The 22-year-old man who was seen with it was given a summons.
The wallaby was taken to Animal Care and Control, and then transferred to a local animal rehabilitation facility. The animal is said to be doing well and in good condition, and is believed to have been well-cared for.
It wasn't immediately clear if the wallaby was a jack (male), a Jill (female) or a joey (baby). It is considered a foster animal, so the man has 10 days to present a legal argument as to why he can still own it. If he cannot produce said argument, the wallaby will belong to the animal center.
The marsupials are similar to kangaroos, but significantly smaller, growing only to about 40 pounds. But like kangaroos, they have strong back legs and can travel quite quickly, up to nearly 30 miles per hour at full speed.
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