Pet Kangaroo Hopping Around Anne Arundel County Home

EDGEWATER, MD — A pet kangaroo caused a stir recently in Anne Arundel County, leaving government agencies to figure out what's next for the mammal.

"I've been in sheltering for a few decades now, and I've long learned I've never seen it all," Anne Arundel County Animal Services Director Claudia Roll told Patch in a Monday interview.

Animal Services told the Maryland Natural Resources Police about the pet kangaroo on Sept. 9, around 1:35 p.m. The agencies responded to the animal's Edgewater home in the 3000 block of Pocahontas Drive.

Officers found the kangaroo in good health.

Photos from the encounter seemed to show the marsupial outside behind a wire fence. There appeared to be room to hop around. There was also what looked like a shelter from the elements.

Authorities did not seize the kangaroo. Nobody was arrested or charged.

"The kangaroo seems just fine," Roll said. "There's no reason to take the kangaroo for the kangaroo's welfare."

The case highlighted a unique corner of animal law.

"Kangaroos are not expressly prohibited in Maryland as written in criminal law (Article § 10-621) or Natural Resource law (COMAR Title 08)," Natural Resources Police spokesperson Hunter Dortenzo told Patch in a Friday email.

Roll said, "It is not legal to keep a kangaroo in Anne Arundel County unless the owner has a permit issued by the state."

The DNR, however, said it is not the agency to issue exotic mammal permits.

"The owner has been given a certain amount of time to obtain a state permit," Roll said.

Roll does not know which state agency is in charge of issuing the permit.

She listed the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Maryland Department of Health as potentials. Patch contacted both agencies for clarification.

The health department said it doesn't handle these permits. The agriculture department is looking into our inquiry.