Tranquilized kangaroo doesn’t bounce back

FOUNTAINTOWN, Ind. – A 6-foot-tall kangaroo that surprised residents as it bounded about five miles through rural central Indiana during the weekend died Monday after authorities used a tranquilizer dart to capture it.

Hancock County Animal Control officers helped capture the Australian marsupial, an escaped pet named Skippy, early Monday not far from its home.

The cause of Skippy’s death was not known, said Kenny McConahay, an officer with the Greenfield/Hancock County Animal Control Department.

“When our officer left the scene, it was still alive and coming out (of sedation). It was recovering,” McConahay said.

Skippy’s owners, David and Sue Schutt, did not answer calls seeking comment. Sue Schutt told WRTV-TV in Indianapolis that she believed Skippy overdosed on tranquilizer.

It was not known what the kangaroo had done or eaten during its weekend of freedom, and the amount of tranquilizer used in the dart was only half the recommended dose, McConahay said.

“We underdosed the animal. When we caught it, it was still struggling,” McConahay said. “It took two people to manhandle it into the truck.”

Skippy got loose Friday when two teenage girls opened his cage.

“Neighbor Jim Greider saw the kangaroo Friday night and thought it was a huge rabbit. His family and guests went out to watch the animal hop down the road in front of his house and a few motorists swerved to avoid it.

“I didn’t even know my neighbor had a kangaroo,” said Greider, 53.

Indiana does not require a permit to keep kangaroos, said Dean Shadley, a state wildlife conservation officer.