Missing Pet Kangaroo in Tennessee Apparently Never Left His Own Road
Ollie, a shy 1-year-old pet kangaroo, escaped his pen near Mount Pleasant, Tennessee, and neighbors found him just down the road from home.
Ollie, a pet kangaroo about a year old, is back home in Maury County, Tennessee. Neighbors spotted him just down the road from the house he escaped from, WKRN News 2 reported.1
His family says he is very tired and hungry, and that he is being well looked after. “He’s getting lots of snuggles, food, and water right now,” the family said, as quoted by WKRN.1
How a Kangaroo Gets Loose
WKRN reported that Ollie escaped his rural home on Tuesday, Oct. 20, wearing a purple harness or leash and a collar. WSMV reported him missing on Oct. 21.23
Neighbor Kayla Middlebrooks said, according to WSMV, that Ollie’s owner was about to take him on his daily walk, around 4:30 p.m., when he got out of his pen and headed toward Southport Road.4
Ollie had moved in with the family only about a month earlier, and his owner was still getting him used to the area.14 He was described as shy, timid and very unlikely to approach people.3 That is a reassuring trait in a kangaroo and an inconvenient one in a missing kangaroo.
Anyone wondering how a kangaroo ends up as a pet in Tennessee: kangaroos are a Class 3 exotic animal in the state, so owning one doesn’t require a wildlife permit.2
Sightings Near and Far
The Maury County Sheriff’s Office and neighbors were alerted, and people shared sightings on social media while Ollie was missing.2 Some unconfirmed reports placed him near Riverside and the dam area in Columbia, about 15 miles away. By Thursday, sightings were much closer to Mount Pleasant.14
“We just want to bring Ollie home at this point, we miss him terribly,” Middlebrooks said in WKRN’s earlier report.2
In the end, neighbors spotted him near his home and called his owners, who came and picked him up.1 Middlebrooks Racing posted on social media that he had been found and returned home safely. FOX 17 reported that he apparently never left the Mack Benderman Road area at all.35
“We are just thrilled that he is home and safe,” the family said, as quoted by WKRN.1
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Sources
- Missing Maury County kangaroo found, returned home WKRN News 2, 2026-10-23
- 'Bring that baby home': Pet kangaroo gets loose in Maury County (WKRN, via Yahoo) WKRN via Yahoo News, 2026-10-21
- Ollie, a Tennessee kangaroo, is back home safe. Here's what happened WSMV, 2026-10-23
- Pet kangaroo on the loose in Mount Pleasant WSMV, 2026-10-21
- Missing kangaroo, Ollie Roo, found in Maury County FOX 17 (WZTV), 2026-10-23
- FOUND: Ollie The Kangaroo In Maury County Is Home Again Mix 92.9, 2026-10-23
