What's Going on with Multiple Kangaroo Sightings in Alabama?

It's become an oddly familiar sight on social media in Alabama. Several times in the past three years, a photo or video of a kangaroo supposedly seen hopping around in Alabama has gone viral. Last month, it happened again. In fact, six times in the last three years, there have been kangaroo sightings somewhere in the state! Yes, kangaroos. These have to be a hoax, right? Actually, out of the six, only one was believed to be a hoax. Here's the 411 on all these bizarre kangaroo sightings in Alabama.

Kangaroo loose in Collinsville, AlabamaPhoto byHeather Andrade (via James Spann public page on Facebook)

Collinsville Kangaroo

The photo above was taken in August 2024 in the DeKalb County community of Collinsville. Heather Andrade was traveling on County Road 88 in Collinsville when she got the surprise of her life. Standing on the side of the road was an animal normally only seen in Alabama in a zoo. She managed to take a photo just before the little hopper sprang out of sight. When meteorologist James Spann shared the photo on Facebook, it set off a flurry of comments and jokes:

• They're everywhere in the Collinsville Outback!! - Gary W.
• That's one of those boxing rabbits. - Eric S.
• I wonder how many people thought they were tripping when they saw this on the side of the road. - Lauren A.
• That’s a huge possum! - M. Steve H.
• We need to really consider closing the southern border. - Jerry S.

It turned out that this kangaroo was named Delilah. She had escaped from Safari Farms & Exotics in Collinsville, as confirmed by 1819 News. The owner at Safari Farms & Exotics said he had never had an issue with Delilah getting loose before. He believed she may have been a little "spooked" from storms the day of her escape and found a way out of her enclosure. The good news: Delilah was not harmed and was taken safely back home to her mate.

Bessemer Boomarang

On Sunday, January 28, 2024, several people in Bessemer, Alabama, spotted a strange animal hopping around a residential area near Owen and Roland Avenues. Local truck driver Dee Miller couldn't believe his eyes when he and his mother were driving near his home and saw a kangaroo in the middle of the road. Knowing his story would be unbelievable without proof, he managed to capture a short video that James Spann shared on Facebook. According to an article on Al.com, this kangaroo escaped from a private residence in Bessemer, where the owner has a small collection of exotic animals. The kangaroo was successfully recaptured on the following day unharmed and returned to his Alabama owner. This was all confirmed to be true by Bessemer Police on Al.com.

Country Club Kangaroo

In September 2023, once again, Alabama meteorologist James Spann was on top of the latest kangaroo sightings. This time, there was one spotted on the loose at Heatherwood Golf and Country Club in Birmingham. This one looked a little different, however. That's because this little 'roo was actually an albino wallaby. A wallaby is related to the kangaroo but smaller. Spann shared the photo and announcement by the owner:

“He is an albino Bennett’s wallaby. Please encourage everyone not to look for them or chase them. Currently he feel safe and he’s not leaving the area. I am out of state in my pet sitter left the gate open when feeding. We need him to remain as calm as possible so he will stay there until I can get there.If someone spots him, do not chase or approach him. He may get startled and take off. As long as he feels safe, he’ll stay in the neighborhood. He’s not dangerous or a threat, the worst thing he could do is eat your plants/garden. He will be scared of any loose animals and anyone who charges at him or chases after him.” - Ashlynn Smith, owner

Cullman County Kangaroo

In July of 2022, there was an awol kangaroo in the town of West Point, located in Cullman County. News of the missing kangaroo named Jackie Legs soon spread far and wide. Owner Eli Morton was even interviewed by WKLY in Kentucky:

"Morton said his kangaroo named Jackie Legs is about 2 years old. Jackie is wearing a dog collar, is very friendly toward people and will get into a truck. Morton said he is heading out with Jackie's favorite treats — cheese puffs and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer to try to lure him home."

A kangaroo named Jackie Legs that loves Pabst Blue Ribbon and cheese puffs? Wait a minute. This must have been a hoax, right? It turns out that it was no hoax at all. Jackie Legs is a real kangaroo, and his owner, Eli Morton, happens to have a great sense of humor. Jackie Legs was soon found and safely returned home, as confirmed by CBS 42. According to the Cullman Daily on Facebook, this was the second time the kangaroo had escaped that year.

Tuscaloosa Kangaroo

In late summer 2022, Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Deputies warned the public to keep a safe distance if they encountered a kangaroo in the wild. The story made the Tuscaloosa News with the headline: Kangaroo on the loose in Tuscaloosa County; public warned not to approach! The outback animal was supposedly spotted in several places around Tuscaloosa County and Northport. Although the animal wasn't theirs, a local exotic animal farm joined the authorities to help in the search of the kangaroo that they believed may have escaped from Fayette County.

Around that time, photos and a video were posted to instagram that supposedly showed a kangaroo swimming across Tuscaloosa Lake. The swimming kangaroo, however, was later determined to be a deer. After a couple of weeks with no proof, no photos, and no more sightings of the supposed rogue kangaroo, officials felt it was evident that there was no kangaroo on the loose in Tuscaloosa County. This is the one kangaroo sighting in Alabama that was probably a hoax.

Outback Jack

In March of 2021, Braxton Basinger was transporting a pet Kangaroo named Jack across Alabama to it's new home in Tennessee. They planned a 2 day stopover at a farm in Winfield, Alabama. It was during that stop, that Kangaroo Jack pulled a quick escape. Pretty soon, the folks around Winfield were spotting the kangaroo. A crazy video of Jack hopping down a country road was shared on Facebook:

Jack was able to elude being captured for several days as he hopped around the Alabama countryside. In the end, however, Jack was recaptured by Braxton and his team. The transport continued and Jack was taken to a nice roomy farm in Tennessee as confirmed by WBRC.

More Kangaroos?

Do you know of other kangaroo escapes in Alabama? Did you happen to see one of these kangaroos while it was on the loose? Leave a note in the comments! Be on the lookout....you never know what you'll see in Alabama!

Click "follow" to catch more of my articles! I'm a native and resident of the Shoals area of north Alabama, sharing events and unique stories about the places and people of the south. Have a story to tell? Email me: april.newsbreak@gmail.com. As always, thanks for reading!