MOUNT ZION, Pa. — Update, 2:20 p.m. (Wednesday): The wayward wallaby was captured by a game warden Wednesday morning, Game Commission Southeast Region Information and Education Supervisor Dustin Stoner said.
The wallaby was caught in Bethel Township, in the same area near Mount Zion where it was initially sighted, Stoner said.
The adult male wallaby has been transported to a wildlife facility at an undisclosed location, Stoner said.
Previously
Lebanon County is abuzz with reports of a wayward wallaby.
The unexpected visitor has been spotted several times this week in the area around Mount Zion. Photos and video of the unidentified marsupial have been circulating on social media.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has also gotten numerous reports of sightings, according to Dustin Stoner, the Southeast Region Information and Education Supervisor.
Many of the reports were second- or third-hand accounts, but Stoner said the Game Commission has looked over some of the footage circulating on social media.
A game warden was sent to the area Tuesday to investigate and try to catch the animal, Stoner said.
The Game Commission is not sure whether the marsupial was released by someone, or whether it escaped on its own, according to Stoner.
In order to own a kangaroo, wallaby, or other type of exotic wildlife in Pennsylvania, you have to fill out appropriate paperwork with the Game Commission, Stoner said. The facility where the animal is being held is also subject to Game Commission approval, he added.
Stoner is advising the public to avoid the animal if spotted. Kangaroos or wallabies can become scared or aggressive if approached, he said.
Instead, Stoner said, the public should keep its distance, contact the Game Commission's Southeast Regional office (610-926-3136), and report where and when the animal was spotted.
Trooper David Beohm, a public information officer with the Pennsylvania State Police, said his department has not received any calls regarding the marsupial, but State Police are aware of the footage on social media.
"I wouldn’t advise getting near it," Beohm said, echoing Stoner's advice to the public. "Kangaroos have very powerful legs, and though unprovoked attacks on humans are not very frequent, they can deliver devastating kicks."