A young kangaroo on the loose in Saline County has been found safe nearly a day after he hopped away, the Marshall Police Department told KOMU 8 News.
Kang’s owner called KOMU 8 as he was driving him home around 1:15 p.m. He said Kang escaped from a pen, and he chased him though cornfields before he realized an airport was nearby and stopped the search until it was safe.
Around 2 p.m. Saturday, “Kang” the 1-year-old kangaroo got loose from the Saline County Fairgrounds in Marshall, where he was part of a petting zoo celebrating a company’s 25th anniversary, according to the owner’s post.
The business, Unruly Igzatiks out of Warrensburg, offers hands-on experiences with exotic animals. The owner, who goes by Mistah Igzatik, thanked the community of Marshall for their help searching for him.
“The Marshall community absolutely showed up – business owners, cowboys, people with drones, random vehicles driving around looking, and countless people who simply wanted to join the search,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Community members and search teams looked for Kang for more than nine hours. Unfortunately, after some close encounters and sightings of Kang, the owner had to return to Warrensburg.
Luckily, a Facebook user posted around 10:17 a.m. Sunday that Kang was found safe and was captured. The Marshall Police Department confirmed this at 12:07 p.m.
Tammy Vance, who documented Kang’s rescue on Sunday, said Christina Haynie helped catch the kangaroo.
An officer holds Kang the kangaroo while Christina Haynie walks beside him. Haynie helped capture Kang.
Tammy Vance
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Mistah Igzatik apologized to the Marshall community for the hubbub, and thanked everyone again for their help.
“As the business owner, I take responsibility for what happened, and I understand the amount of attention and disruption an escaped kangaroo can cause a community,” he wrote in his post.
The owner even gave instructions on how to safely restrain a kangaroo in case someone got close enough to capture him.
Several Facebook users posted about their sightings of Kang and their efforts to bring him home safely.
A Facebook post from a community member said a kangaroo was spotted hopping down U.S. 65 in Marshall around 5:45 p.m. Saturday.
Karen Scheffler Bolser wrote in the comments of Mistah Igzatik’s post that her family was one of many helping look for Kang.
“WE HATED to stop looking after 4 hrs feeling as tho we were giving up … but it had gotten dark and there had not been any additional sightings,” she wrote. “Kang sure was cute but he sure was fast with his run and hop at the same time!”
KOMU 8 News is in contact with the Marshall Police Department to learn more. Check back for updates.