Police believe pet wallabies killed by dog

Three pet wallabies were killed in north Spokane Wednesday, launching an investigation into whether the deaths were deliberate.

The woman who owned the wallabies initially reported that someone may have intentionally killed the animals, said Spokane police spokesman Officer Shane Phillips. That prompted police intervention along with an investigation by the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service, which determined that the wallabies were killed and partially eaten by a dog.

“It was not malicious,” Phillips said. “It was not murder. It looks like this lady’s pet dog ate her pet wallabies.”

The woman, who lives in northeast Spokane, is extremely upset, Phillips said. With no evidence of a crime, the case has been turned over to SCRAPS.

“It’s pretty conclusive that a dog did it,” he said. “We think it was her dog, but we’re not sure.”

SCRAPS director Nancy Hill said Washington State and Spokane County have laws that cover wild or exotic animals that are dangerous.

“The wallaby does not fit into that,” she said.