Officials search for wallaby missing from Memphis Zoo

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Recent storms that rolled through the south have a zoo searching for a missing marsupial.

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A wallaby at the Memphis Zoo is unaccounted for after the staff evacuated all the animals to a nearby animal hospital during storms Wednesday, WHBQ reported.

Those storms caused flash flooding inside the zoo’s KangaZoo exhibit, where the wallaby lives.

The Memphis Zoo told WHBQ that staff began searching for the animal during the storm as soon as they saw the wallaby was unaccounted for.

In a Facebook post, the zoo shared a picture of the wallaby and said the Memphis Police Department has joined in the search for the missing animal.

The caption of the post warns people not to get close to the animal if spotted: “Wallabies are smaller in stature than kangaroos. They are gentle animals, but fairly skiddish (sic). If spotted, please do not approach.”

The primary difference between kangaroos and wallabies is size, according to the San Diego Zoo. Both animals have large and powerful hind legs and feet, with smaller forelimbs and a long muscular tail that helps the animal balance and turn while hopping.

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