A runaway kangaroo who broke out of its enclosure Tuesday afternoon caused a two-car collision, temporarily shutting down portions of an Alabama highway and setting cops on a chaotic chase.
According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the kangaroo, Sheila, was seen hopping next to Interstate 85 near Tuskegee, in central Alabama, between Montgomery and Auburn.
State authorities closed both sides of the highway to ensure the safety of drivers given the animal was out in the open.
It also resulted in a collision shortly before noon when two cars trying to escape the bouncing animal hit each other.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Captain Jeremy J. Burkett said the animal's owner and troopers captured it after using a dart to tranquillise it.
The kangaroo was unharmed in the collision, the agency confirmed in a Facebook post. It remained unknown whether any of the drivers were injured.
In a Facebook live video, Macon County Sheriff Andre Brunson said he did not believe there was a kangaroo at first until Sheila was captured by its owner.
"Nobody believed it, but I'm looking at him," Mr Brunson said in the video.
He added that it was unlike anything he ever encountered.
"A few years ago, we had a bear, but never a kangaroo. You never know what Macon County has in store," Mr Brunson said.
Another social media video showed the playful possum casually hopping over the busy traffic, which remained closed for about three hours as police and Sheila's owner made efforts to capture the enormous animal.
Mr Brunson's footage showed the kangaroo crawling slowly up a hill near the roadway moments after it was shot with a tranquilliser.
Later on, the owner, Patrick Starr, was seen carrying it down from a hill and into a car.
Mr Starr said his pet received treatment at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine before being safely brought home, where she is now eating and drinking as usual.
"She's back home safe. She's up. She's not sedated anymore. She's eating. She's drinking. She's not injured," Mr Starr said, as per AP.
