Kangaroo seen hopping down highway: 'I expect to see that in Australia, but not Amarillo'

AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — The search for two escaped kangaroos in Amarillo, Texas, had a bittersweet ending.

Jacob Brown was on his work around 5:40 a.m. when he spotted one kangaroo hoping down eastbound I-40 near Coulter Street.

“I was shocked. I expect to see that in Australia possibly, but not Amarillo, Texas," Brown said. "Probably (a) once in a lifetime sight for me.”

Brown lost sight of the kangaroo as it hopped the divider wall and into the westbound lanes.

When I turned onto the service road, I saw it crossing from afar. As I got closer, it started crossing I-40 and I lost sight (of it),” said Brown.

Brown said he called animal control, but no one answered.

So where did did the kangaroo come from and what eventually happened to it? TheAmarillo Zoo does have a red kangaroo. But the city confirmed its kangaroo did not escape.

It turns out two kangaroos did escape from Rick Looby's exotic animal farm on the west side of Amarillo.

A gate latch got left open yesterday," said Looby on Facebook. "Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused anybody."

Looby was able to catch one of them. Unfortunately, the other one was hit by a car on I-40.

Sheriff Brian Thomas said the kangaroo made it to the Home Depot parking lot at I-40 and Soncy Road. It was too injured to save and had to be put down by a deputy. Animal control picked up the carcass and hauled it off.

This is not the first time Looby's kangaroos made headlines. On Sept. 25, 2021, two kangaroos were stolen from his exotic animal farm. He offered a $3,000 reward for information that led to the arrest of the two suspects.

A week later, a woman named Crystal McKinney posted a photo of Christopher Potts on Facebook. Potts had taken a selfie with a kangaroo in his back seat.

She asked anyone with information to call police or Looby.

According to court records, Potts and Megan Sandefer were both arrested. Now, Sandefer claims she had been falsely accused.

"I know this much, the truth always comes to light," said Sandefer in a Facebook post after her arrest. "I also know that there is a great deal of resources and money at the accuser's disposal. This world is full of evil, but every time evil has knocked on my door, I have only met it head-on."

The truth came to light in March 2023 when Sandefer and Potts both pleaded guilty. They each received two years deferred adjudication.

This is also not the first time one of Looby's kangaroos have been loose on I-40.

On Oct. 4, 2022, one of his marsupials had to be rounded up, and it stopped traffic in the process.

"We are entering Amarillo, Texas and the interstate was stopped," said Dawn March from "Two men and two troopers were chasing a kangaroo. Hilarious to watch."