Kangaroo escapes petting zoo, leads 3-day search in wisconsin

Chesney the kangaroo's daring escape from a Wisconsin petting zoo sent his keeper on a frantic three-day search, covering over 37,000 steps daily.

High-jumping harebrained hijinks

Debbie Marland's 16-month-old charge Chesney scaled an 8-foot fence and vanished, sparking a small-town manhunt through woods and neighborhoods. The marsupial's misadventure was set in motion when stray dogs spooked the joey in his enclosure at Sunshine Farm in Necedah.

Marland and a band of determined searchers trekked hither and yon, chasing reported sightings and even deploying heat-seeking drones to track the high-jumping adventurer. Chesney's escapade earned him a reputation as a small-town celebrity.

When finally cornered under a tree, the kangaroo allowed himself to be scooped up by a calm and gentle handler, Stacy Brereton, who assured him with soothing words and familiar scents that it was time to come home.

Now safely back in his enclosure with a new mesh top to prevent future fence-sitting, Chesney is getting a checkup and enjoying the comforts of home with his roommate Kenny. The farm has plans to capitalize on the kangaroo's caper with a children's book.