Kangaroo On The Loose In A Florida Apartment Complex

Some Tampa, Florida apartment dwellers got the surprise of the year when they spotted a kangaroo on the loose in the complex.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office posted about the incident on their department’s Facebook page, with the title, “A Kangaroo? On the Loose? You read that right!” 

In a call released by HCSO, a 911 dispatcher answers saying, “Did you need police, fire or medical?”

The uncertain caller responds, “Police, I guess? There’s a kangaroo in my  . . .uh . . . apartment complex.” 

Deputies responded to the call and the “large kangaroo” was trapped inside the pool area of the apartment complex.  

HCSO’s Agriculture Unit was involved in the kangaroo containment and helped reunite the animal - whose name is Hopper - with its owner, Dunia Ramirez.

“I'm glad that he decided to go that way because I live next to a busy avenue and I know God was watching over him,” Ramirez told Tampa’s Fox 13. 

Ramirez, who said she received veterinary training in Cuba, cares for two kangaroos in her home - Hopper and Jack.  

“They’re both very chill, very relaxed, and I think they absolutely love [to be] each other’s companion,” Ramirez told Fox 13.  

She said she suspects Hopper escaped after someone doing work in her backyard accidentally left the gate open but she hopes her pets’ newfound fame might create an opportunity for other members of the community to meet the animals.   

Possession of many wildlife species as a personal pet in Florida is allowed but requires a permit, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.