Escaped wallaby stops by hotel in England

LONDON — Zookeepers and police were chasing reports Monday of a wayward wallaby, spotted days after escaping a children’s zoo in western England.

The marsupial went missing sometime Friday night from Cattle Country adventure park in Berkeley, west of London, park manager Ellen Sealey said.

Since then, the wallaby was spotted early Saturday at a nearby hotel, and then Sunday about a half-mile from the park, she said. Both police and the zoo have responded to calls about the escaped marsupial.

“We’re just waiting for sightings,” Sealey said. “As soon as anyone rings one in, we go out and look. I don’t think he’s going to be that easy to catch, to be fair.”

The wallaby — which looks like a small kangaroo — is more than 2 feet tall and could have scampered through a hole in his enclosure or bounded over the surrounding 8-foot fence, Sealey said.

Some species of wallabies can hop up to three times their height, though Sealey said the fence met required height standards. A second wallaby housed in the same enclosure did not escape, she said.

The missing wallaby, who does not have a name, has always been friendly, and the zoo’s main fear was that he would cause a road accident. Police are warning motorists to stay alert.