Irwin the kangaroo gets the jump on police in Durango, Colorado
The most notorious roo-peat offender in Durango, Colorado, was once again seen hopping through town. Irwin, a pet kangaroo, first jumped through Durango as a baby in October 2024. On Monday, he showed that his escapist tendencies have followed him from the pouch to adolescence.
Irwin (named after Steve Irwin) was first caught in October when officers lured him with a large bag, banking on its similarity to a kangaroo pouch. But, when it came to catching a more grown-up Irwin, local police officers had to come up with a different kanga-ruse, a new form of hop pursuit.
Released footage shows an officer approaching Irwin in a narrow corridor between a red fence and a brick house. Irwin attempts to jump past the officer (described by Durango's police chief as 'a big farm boy'), and lands in his arms instead. 'We have the kangaroo detained,' another officer calls into dispatch.
Irwin's confusion over his locale is understandable. Kangaroos, famed for their springy legs and long leaps, are native to Australia, and used to bouncing in more boundless spaces than a private owner can typically provide.
Kangaroos are legal to own in Colorado, one of many exotic animals on an eclectic list that includes three species of wallabies, poison dart frogs, emus, reindeer, caimans and African pygmy hedgehogs.
Escaped exotic pets are often linked to human repeat offenders. A Raleigh, North Carolina, man publicly apologized and turned in more than 75 snakes after failing to report an escaped zebra cobra six months earlier – and was seen on TikTok years later handling venomous snakes.
Fatalities from kangaroos are rare, but not without precedent. Last week, a man in South Carolina was found dead in a petting zoo's kangaroo enclosure. In 2022, an Australian man was killed by a wild kangaroo he had kept as a pet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Sun
LA cops forced to delete ‘offensive' post about US strikes on Iran and admit it was ‘unacceptable' in lengthy apology
LOS Angeles police have been forced to delete a social media post about the Iran conflict that they called "offensive and inappropriate." Cops issued a lengthy apology for speaking out on the issue and falsely suggesting people were killed after the US launched airstrikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran. 5 5 The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department shared condolences for the "tragic" bombing in a since-deleted post on X on Sunday. An original version of the post read, "Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran. "While this tragic event occurred overseas, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is closely monitoring the situation alongside our local, state, and federal partners." No deaths have been confirmed in the US airstrikes on Iran. A few moments after the post was shared, it was edited to remove mentions of Iranian victims and families. The statement was also edited to say police were "closely monitoring the situation overseas." Then, the post was deleted entirely after backlash from social media users, some of whom called the message "embarrassing" and "pathetic." LASD then shared an apology for the post. "We are issuing this statement to formally apologize for an offensive and inappropriate social media post recently posted on our Department social media platforms regarding the ongoing conflict in Iran," police said. "This post was unacceptable, made in error, and does not reflect the views of Sheriff Robert G. Luna or the Department. Inside Operation Midnight Hammer: How Trump carried out unprecedented Iran attack using decoys in 37-hour covert mission '"As a law enforcement agency, we do not comment on foreign policy or military matters. "Our mission remains solely focused on protecting public safety and serving our diverse communities." The department said it launched an internal review to figure out how the post was created and published. Police also said they're working to strengthen their social media policies and "ensure that any future communications align with our Department's standards of professionalism, respect, and accountability," the apology added. LA County Sheriff's Department's statement The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department issued the following apology after sharing a post about the US airstrikes on Iran: We are issuing this statement to formally apologize for an offensive and inappropriate social media post recently posted on our Department social media platforms regarding the ongoing conflict in Iran. This post was unacceptable, made in error, and does not reflect the views of Sheriff Robert G. Luna or the Department. As a law enforcement agency, we do not comment on foreign policy or military matters. Our mission remains solely focused on protecting public safety and serving our diverse communities. We fully recognize that the words and messages we share carry weight. As law enforcement professionals, we are entrusted with a position of public responsibility, and that trust demands that we communicate accurately. In this instance, we fell short of that expectation, and we are taking quick corrective action. We are committed to learning from this failure and to prevent such incidents from occurring again. We have updated our social media post and have launched an internal review to determine how it was created and published. Steps are being taken to strengthen our social media oversight protocols and ensure that any future communications align with our Department's standards of professionalism, respect, and accountability. We appreciate the continued trust of our community and will work diligently to reaffirm that trust every day. Source: LASD The LASD hasn't returned The U.S. Sun's request for comment. It comes after Los Angeles law enforcement officials are already facing backlash for how they handled anti-ICE protests in the city, which saw violence and looting break out earlier this month. The demonstrations were peaceful at first, but escalated after President Donald Trump sent in the National Guard as some rioters lit self-driving vehicles on fire. Cops and local politicians were slammed for failing to keep the peace during the rallies. 5 5 CONFLICT IN IRAN The LASD's original post about Iran was shared just hours after Trump entered the conflict between Israel and Iran on Saturday night. He sent American warplanes to target Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. It's unclear if there have been any casualties in the attack, but Trump said the sites were "obliterated." He wrote on Truth Social after the strikes, "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. "All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. "Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!" Iran has warned that there will be consequences for the strikes.
Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Heartstopping moment panicked dad saves daughter after plunging into lake during fishing trip
This is the heart stopping moment a dad saves his daughter after she fell into the water whilst on a fishing trip in Kentucky Lake, USA. Click above to watch the video in full.
Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Defiant pro-Palestine protester sends message to Trump after being freed from ICE detention
A defiant pro-Palestinian activist has delivered a strong message to President Donald Trump after being freed from ICE custody following more than three months of detention. Mahmoud Khalil, 30, a Columbia University graduate student was released Friday evening from an immigration facility in Louisiana after a federal judge ruled his continued detention violated his rights. Khalil, a Syrian-born activist who holds Algerian citizenship and a US green card through his marriage, was arrested by ICE agents on March 8 after he participated in a series of violent pro-Palestinian protests on the Columbia campus. In his first television interview since his freedom, the father-of-one told ABC News that he will not back down and that 'no threat' will stop him from advocating for Palestinians. He said he represents 'a movement that goes against what this administration is trying to do' - and insisted he will not be silenced. 'Because I represent a movement that goes against what this administration is trying to do,' Khalil told the outlet. 'They try to portray me as a violent person. They try to portray me as a terrorist, as some lunatic, but not presenting any evidence, not presenting any shred of credibility to their claims.' 'I can be detained next week if the government prevails on appeal, which they will not,' he said. 'But what I will focus on is continuing to advocate for Palestinians.' 'Not any threat would deter me because no one should stay silent when people are getting killed. No one,' Khalil said. He claimed he felt like he was 'literally kidnapped' when he was detained. 'I felt like I was literally kidnapped, all the 'know your rights' that I've indulged myself into felt like nothing because at that moment ICE made it clear that you have no rights, whatsoever,' he told the outlet. While detained, Khalil missed the birth of his first-born. 'That's the most cruel thing that any administration would do,' Khalil said. 'Clearly, I was not danger to the community, that they could have afforded me that opportunity to be with my son, but it's not only about me, it's about the thousands of people who cannot be with their children.' 'There's no place for any form of racism, including anti-Blackness, antisemitism in the Palestine movement, and the Jewish students and people in general in the United States are an integral part of the Palestinian movement,' he said. Khalil arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday to an eruption of cheers after he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for over 100 days. New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez greeted him at the airport and stood by his side as he spoke to the press. Khalil defiantly spoke, telling reporters: 'If they threaten me with detention, even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Palestine.' 'I just want to go back and continue the work I was already doing, advocating for Palestinian rights, a speech that should actually be celebrated rather than punished.' Ocasio-Cortez spoke at the conference to condemn the Trump administration for 'persecution based on political speech.' She added that Khalil was unlawfully 'taken' and argued that federal officials acted illegally when detaining the activist. Khalil was granted release and freed on bail by a New Jersey federal judge on Friday. The green card holder was taken into custody on March 8, 2025, as the Trump administration cracked down on pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses. He was born and raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and was a lawful permanent resident of the US. Khalil was one of the primary organizers of protests that took over Columbia as the Israel - Hamas conflict was ignited. In the ruling Friday, Judge Michael E. Farbiaz said that none of the Trump administration's allegations against Khalil justified his continued detention, and sided with Khalil's argument that he was locked up as an unlawful retaliation for his activism. In his ruling on Friday, Farbiarz said: 'There is at least something to the underlying claim that there is an effort to use the immigration charge here to punish Mr. Khalil - And of course that would be unconstitutional.' Khalil has not been charged with a crime, but the judge's order to free him comes as the Trump White House continues efforts to deport him back to Algeria, where he is a citizen. When he was detained earlier this year, Khalil's case gained national attention as he was the first pro-Palestinian protester to be arrested by the Trump administration in its crackdown on college campuses.
