Recently, a pair of homeowners in Australia were startled when they heard a clattering sound on their roof. They rushed upstairs, peered out the window and found a surprising guest nestled against their home’s brick facade.
The unlikely visitor was a wallaroo — a unique Australian marsupial.
“Wallaroos are smaller than kangaroos but larger than wallabies,” WIRES Wildlife Rescue wrote in a Facebook post. “[They’re] often considered an intermediate between these two groups.”
In need of expert help, the homeowners contacted WIRES, who sent a volunteer rescuer named Inga to the scene.
When Inga arrived, she followed the couple upstairs and found the animal resting on the roof.
“It was quietly enjoying the view and seemed very relaxed,” Inga told The Dodo.
Inga surveyed the property and determined that the safest place for the wallaroo to jump down would be just above the couple’s patio. She ushered the animal toward this location, being careful to keep her distance so as not to scare him. Miraculously, the wallaroo jumped safely down on his own, free from any injuries, and hopped off into the wilderness.
“By the time I followed it onto the roadway, it was hopping into the safety of an adjoining wildlife bush corridor,” Inga said.
Inga encourages anyone who sees a wild animal stuck on their property to do what these homeowners did and call their local wildlife rescue group for advice. In this case, Inga is glad that the wallaroo ultimately made it back where he belonged.
“I was very relieved,” she said.
