OTSU, Shiga Prefecture (Kyodo) A male kangaroo that ran away from a zoo in Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture, was caught in the middle of a rice paddy after a five-hour search by zoo staff.
The 40-kg, 1-year-old kangaroo escaped after arriving by truck at Horii Zoo from another zoo in Tochigi Prefecture early Wednesday.
The paddy was about 500 meters from the zoo. Local residents told police that the kangaroo was hopping around there.
"If someone was kicked by the kangaroo, that person could have been seriously injured. It's really good it has been caught," a local police officer said.
Horii Zoo keeps about 300 kinds of animals in the facility, including camels, tigers and crocodiles.
