Two of the three kangaroos that escaped from a private enclosure in Givskud near Vejle last week are now dead, and the third animal is still missing.
The three Australian marsupials got out on Tuesday, September 22, and two of them have since been found, DR reports. The information comes from the owner of the animals, Lasse Stærdal Simonsen.
One of the kangaroos was euthanized after it was assessed to be a danger to road users. The second animal was captured alive, but died afterwards from the stress of its time in the open. TV Syd reports that the animal was exhausted and stressed while it was free.
The third kangaroo has still not been located. Simonsen told TV Syd that the active search has been called off, comparing it to looking for a needle in a haystack. He added that he will of course react if anyone spots the animal.
According to the owner, the remaining kangaroo has a good chance of surviving in Danish nature for a long time. He said the animals eat the same food as roe deer. The main risks he named were cars, predators and a very hard winter.
Sightings reported near Give
Several people have contacted police to report seeing a kangaroo. On Thursday, Sydøstjyllands Politi wrote that people should be extra attentive at Tykhøjetvej in Give. The road lies about six kilometers west of Givskud.
TV Syd reported on September 24 that the possible sighting near Tykhøjetvej surprised the owner, who noted how far the animal had hopped. The police have also previously told DR that they do not plan to intervene. That position applies as long as the kangaroos do not pose a danger to traffic.
The escape itself was discovered on the Tuesday morning, when the animals were being checked. The enclosure gate was standing open, as shown in DR’s reporting from the site. TV Syd first reported the escape of all three kangaroos on September 23.
The enclosure in Givskud is privately owned and is not part of a public animal park. Simonsen keeps the marsupials on his own property near Vejle in southern Jutland.
Sydøstjyllands Politi has not announced any organized search for the missing animal. As of September 26, neither the owner nor the police had reported a confirmed capture.
