Wayward wallaroo rescued from river after chase in Illinois
Police in Peru, Illinois, are no strangers to chases
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Police in Peru, Illinois, are no strangers to chases — unless what they’re after hops away on two legs.
Officers in the city about 95 miles (152 kilometers) southwest of Chicago were joined Wednesday afternoon by firefighters and even residents in a two-hour pursuit of a runaway wallaroo that bounded through yards and along streets and roads.
Native to Australia, Wallaroos are larger than wallabies and smaller than kangaroos. This bloke — named Wally — got away from his owner in LaSalle County.
Fearing that the marsupial might get hit by a vehicle, Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei shut down nearby roads.
Wally eventually made his way into a river.
“I had to hold back the owner of Wally because he wanted to enter the Illinois River and that would have been tragic,” Bernabei told WLS-TV.
Two anglers were nearby.
“We were screaming and pointing. We were saying, ‘Get your net out, get your net out,’” Bernabei told the (Peoria) Journal Star. “They yelled, ‘It’s not a dog!’ We said ... ‘It’s not a dog, it’s a wallaroo.’”
They used a net to fish Wally from the frigid water and into their boat before taking him to shore.
“He was so cold we couldn’t register his temperature on the thermometer,” said veterinarian Allison Spayer. “We warmed him up. We dried him off.”
Bernabei said Wednesday was “probably the best day of the year, so far.”
“It was a neat thing to get him out of the river and get him to a warm place and get him treated,” he said.
Police said they planned to verify that Wally’s owner had a permit for a wallaroo.