CORRALES, N.M. (KRQE) – A female coyote found injured in Corrales is now receiving care at the New Mexico Wildlife Center. A resident called saying a coyote was in their backyard with signs she may have been hit by a car before falling over the fence into their yard.
Thanks to Corrales Animal Services, she was transported to the wildlife hospital, where veterinarians say her injuries have a good chance of healing. The rescue comes as coyote activity increases during breeding season prompting officials to remind residents to drive carefully and respect wildlife from a distance.
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A runaway kangaroo startled drivers as it hopped onto a busy road after escaping its owner in Alabama.
The kangaroo named Sheila caused a two-vehicle collision in Macon County, between Montgomery and Auburn, at 11:50 a.m. local time on Tuesday, April 29, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency stated in a post on Facebook.
“The crash occurred in the southbound lane of Interstate 85 near the 46-mile marker in Macon County,” said police. “Eventually, both the southbound and northbound lanes of Interstate 85, near the 46-mile marker, were closed while Troopers with the ALEA’s Highway Patrol Division, along with the animal’s owner, conducted a recovery of the kangaroo.”
Sheila was tranquilized and recovered by owner, Patrick Starr, at the scene. The animal was not injured in the crash, said police.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. We had a bear a few years ago, but never a kangaroo. You never know what you’ll see in Macon County,” Sheriff Andre Brunson said in a Facebook live video.
The video also showed the animal’s owner picking him up on the side of the road after it had been tranquilized and transporting it back to a vehicle.
Brunson said police stopped the traffic so that the kangaroo “doesn’t run in front of the traffic and get himself killed.”
“Everybody is out here working together trying to make sure that we get this kangaroo home safely,” he added.
In another video posted on social media, a car passenger filmed Sheila hopping on the side of the road before moving across in front of the vehicle.
“What the hell?” a voice says from behind the camera. “Where are you going, buddy? Wow.”
Starr confirmed that no one was injured in the crash in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “Thank you for all the texts and calls today. Thankfully, everybody is okay,” he wrote.
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Sheila was treated at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine before returning safely home, the New York Post reported.
“She’s a sweet pet,” Starr told the outlet. “I’m glad she’s back home, and I’m glad everybody slowed down a little bit.”
Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States) sees Sheila’s escape as the latest in a string of preventable kangaroo incidents.
“Whether in a roadside petting zoo or kept as a pet in someone’s backyard, captivity is no place for a kangaroo. Kangaroos are strong, powerful animals, and along with wallabies (a close relative) have been involved in at least 74 documented escapes since 2010 alone, resulting in at least 17 animal deaths,” Laura Hagen, director of captive wildlife at Humane World for Animals, shared in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
“Sheila’s escape marks the third kangaroo escape reported in Alabama in the last four years. The public, law enforcement and the animal were all placed in harm’s way as Sheila, who was likely confused, terrified, and was lucky to have not been killed or injured herself, stopped traffic on the interstate, even further highlighting why wild animals should never be held as a pet or used in cruel, dangerous public encounters,” she added.