How does a kangaroo escape a petting zoo? That's not the opening line to a dad joke. If you're Chesney the kangaroo, you scale an eight-foot fence and go on the lam for three days, giving your keeper sleepless nights and sending residents of a small Wisconsin town on a search that would end happily on Saturday. The unprecedented leap at Sunshine Farm in Necedah, Wisconsin, last week was precipitated by some stray dogs that rushed the enclosure and spooked the 16-month-old Chesney, said his keeper, Debbie Marland. She and friends then trekked hither and yon, chasing reports of sightings and even renting heat-seeking drones, which proved effective in narrowing down the wanderings of the high-jumping adventurer. "I was putting on about 37,000 steps per day looking for him," Marland said Sunday. "I haven't done so much exercise in a very long time."
Chesney and his brother—you guessed it—Kenny, are among 25 animals at Sunshine Farm, with horses, sheep, alpacas, Kunekune pigs, Highland cows, and a Bactrian camel. Chesney escaped about 11:15am last Wednesday, reports the AP. According to Stacy Brereton, who helps out at the farm, Chesney was discovered Friday night nestled under a tree in a wooded area. A group of searchers surrounded him, but ever fleet of foot—20mph is no stretch for him—Chesney eluded them. Marland returned to the area Saturday morning with Chesney's favorite treats and pieces of material that had his and Kenny's scent. Other searchers later joined her. But with no sign of the kangaroo, they started packing up. Just then, they spotted the long-eared kangaroo with outsize back legs approaching.
Brereton stepped up with a delicate touch. "He had a very calm attitude when he walked up, obviously you could tell he wasn't in fight-or-flight mode, so I just went with that," Brereton said. "I just stayed calm with him and I just kind of went and sat and let him come to me." Chesney heard the voices and wanted attention, said Brereton, who eventually scooped up the 40-pound animal. "I do believe he heard our comforting voices, he smelled the familiar smells of home and it just made him feel safe," said Brereton, adding, "I'm just glad he loves me as much as I love him."
"I think he just had a very long adventure and he realized, 'Hey, where's my queen-sized bed? Where's my sliced bananas? Where's my strawberry ice cream? I can't find that out here,'" Marland says, adding that the kangaroo is now something of a celebrity. A Sunshine Farm fan has written a children's book about Chesney's adventures, which Marland hopes to publish and sell to recoup some of the search costs. Kenny, who with his marsupial mate has the run of Marland's house, was "very happy to see him," Marland tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "They've been hanging out all day, taking naps together." To be safe, Marland says a new mesh top will be placed over the kangaroo enclosure to prevent any more hijinks.
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