Police chase rogue wallaby over Harbour Bridge
A WALLABY found hopping along Sydney Harbour Bridge about 5am this morning has been nicknamed “Skippy” by police.
NSW
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A WALLABY found hopping along Sydney Harbour Bridge about 5am this morning has been nicknamed “Skippy” by police.
It took several police officers to pin down the wild wallaby.
Chatswood Police Inspector Kylie Smith said the incident wasn’t in the “police handbook”.
“I was at Taronga Zoo not long ago and a bunch of Americans from Chicago started talking to me and said ‘so wallabies really do bounce down the Main Street of Sydney?’ And today it did,” Insp Smith said.
“Sydney’s got the best harbour in the world, so I’d say the wallaby was just taking in the view ... people from all over the world will wake up and know we actually do have wallabies or kangaroos that jump down the Main Street in Sydney.
“I don’t think the wallaby would have imagined crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
“There are eight lanes on the bridge and the wallaby was seen my traffic control in lane eight and crossing over to lane one, and that is a pretty big span to be running on the loose posing traffic problems. Lucky it wasn’t as heavy at 5am.”
Ms Smith also said this incident is “a first” for many city officers.
“As you can imagine, this is an extremely unusual job for police to be attending in the city. When police arrived the wallaby refused to obey directions and initially evaded police. A short pursuit then occurred.
“I think police were probably shocked in that I’ve never heard of a wallaby on the habour bridge before. I’ve worked in the bush for many years and it was common there but I must say it’s probably a first here.
“Some officers will probably never do a job like this in the city again.”
The male adult swamp wallaby was in lane eight on the northern side of the bridge.
Traffic controllers monitored the animal as it made its way across to lane one and took the Cahill Expressway exit to Macquarie Street.
It was finally stopped near the Conservatorium of Music. Police suspect the marsupial came from a golf course in Cammeray.
The wallaby was sheltered by a police car and was taken by animal welfare officers to Taronga Wildlife Hospital for veterinary assessment.
In a statement, the hospital said: “The animal was thoroughly assessed by Senior Veterinarian Dr Larry Vogelnest including a full body X-Ray which thankfully did not reveal any significant injuries. The wallaby has been administered pain medication and fluids and is currently in Taronga’s Wildlife Intensive Care Unit for recovery and further monitoring.”
Dr Vogelnest told The Daily Telegraph he didn’t think the unnamed wallaby would get fined for not having an e-tag on the bridge, but thought he deserved a medal for surviving.
“I think he is going to get a medal for actually surviving,” he said.
“About 5.30am I got a call from the NSW police that a kangaroo, that was what they were calling it at that stage, running around on the Harbour Bridge.
“I suggested they bring it here to Taronga for assessment, and they got the mounted police involved because they needed something to transport the animal in. They eventually put it in a horse float.
“It was about 6.30am when it arrived here and it was quite distressed and I gave it an anaesthetic. I then brought him into our treatment room and assessed it thoroughly. There weren’t any major external injuries but it had some abrasions to its face, feet and hind legs.
“I took him for X-rays to make sure there were no fractures. He is currently recovering in intensive care.
An unusual start to the day with reports of a wallaby crossing the #Sydney Harbour Bridge from the North Shore. It’s been contained by police, my guess is they’ll be fining it for failing to pay the toll. #Kangaroo #Wallaby #SHB #Australia
— Old Croaky (@OldCroaky) January 15, 2018
“We will assess him carefully over the next day or so, to make sure there is nothing untoward happening. The goal will be to release him somewhere, but we don’t know where yet.”
Earlier this morning, incredulous drivers called into 2GB radio to report the sighting.
“There was a little rock wallaby, I think it looked like, just standing in the middle of the road minding his own business” one caller said to the broadcaster.
Twitter also lit up this morning by commuters, who were shocked at the scenes.
“An unusual start to the day with reports of a wallaby crossing the #Sydney Harbour Bridge from the North Shore. It’s been contained by police, my guess is they’ll be fining it for failing to pay the toll,” one user wrote.
Another said: “A Kangaroo on the Sydney Harbour Bridge ... it doesn’t get more Australian than that! #Australia.”
A Kangaroo on the Sydney Harbour Bridge...it doesn't get more Australian than that! #Australia https://t.co/Tjcc5D6ANY
— Tara Moroney (@TaraMoroney7) January 15, 2018