A 16-month-old kangaroo named “Chesney” escaped from a Wisconsin petting zoo after scaling an eight-foot fence, triggering a three-day community search that ended Saturday when the wayward marsupial was coaxed back to safety with familiar scents and a calm voice.
The kangaroo lives with his keeper Debbie Marland at Sunshine Farm in Necedah, Wisconsin, approximately 160 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
Stray Dogs, an Eight-Foot Fence, and One Very Spooked Kangaroo
The escape wasn’t premeditated.
A pack of stray dogs rushed Chesney’s enclosure around 11:15 a.m. last Wednesday, sending the frightened animal into a panic that sent him over the fence and into the surrounding woodland. Despite remaining within a three-mile radius of the farm, Chesney proved nearly impossible to track — capable of hitting 20 mph through dense rural terrain.
Marland immediately mobilized friends, neighbors, and volunteers, who fanned out daily across the surrounding area chasing reported sightings.
“I was putting on about 37,000 steps per day looking for him,” Marland said. “I haven’t done so much exercise in a very long time.”
The Drone Pilot Who’d Never Chased Anything Like This
With conventional search methods falling short, Marland enlisted Colton Johnson of Midwest Aerial Drone Services, whose heat-sensing equipment has helped hunters recover deer and reunite lost dogs with their owners. The thermal footage of Chesney moving through the woods stopped Johnson cold.
“It almost looked like a dinosaur running through the woods,” Johnson said. “It’s got a long tail, and the way it was moving and hopping — that’s the only way I can describe it.”
Johnson spent all three days of the search alongside Marland and the volunteer team, adapting lost-pet recovery techniques to a decidedly unprecedented subject.
Three Days of Near-Misses
The search was not without heartbreak. Searchers caught up with Chesney on Wednesday and again Thursday night, only to watch him slip away both times — once when the spooked kangaroo leaped into a cold river and vanished from Johnson’s drone feed entirely.
Friday brought the lowest point. No sightings were reported all day, and the team began to fear Chesney had wandered beyond the search perimeter. That night he was spotted resting under a tree — and bolted again before anyone could reach him.
Chesney Decides to Come Home
Saturday morning, Marland returned to the last known area with Chesney’s favorite treats and fabric carrying the scents of both Chesney and his companion Kenny. As the team began packing up with no sign of him, Chesney appeared — walking toward them on his own terms.
Farm volunteer Stacy Brereton stepped forward and let the exhausted animal come to her.
“He had a very calm attitude when he walked up. I just stayed calm with him and just kind of went and sat and let him come to me,” Brereton said. “I do believe he heard our comforting voices, he smelled the familiar smells of home and it just made him feel safe.”
She scooped up the 40-pound kangaroo, and the search was finally over.
What People Are Saying
Stacy Brereton, farm volunteer, told the Associated Press: “He had a very calm attitude when he walked up. I just stayed calm with him and just kind of went and sat and let him come to me.”
Debbie Marland, Chesney’s keeper, told the AP: “I was putting on about 37,000 steps per day looking for him. I haven’t done so much exercise in a very long time.”
Colton Johnson, drone operator, told the AP: “It almost looked like a dinosaur running through the woods. It’s got a long tail, and the way it was moving and hopping — that’s the only way I can describe it.”
What Happens Next
“Chesney” — named alongside his roommate “Kenny” after country music star Kenny Chesney — returned home hungry and tired but otherwise healthy, with a veterinary checkup scheduled. Marland plans to install a mesh top over the kangaroo enclosure to prevent future escapes.
The search drew widespread community support, and a local fan has already written a children’s book based on Chesney’s adventure. Marland hopes to publish and sell it to offset the costs of the three-day recovery effort.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.