Runaway Kangaroo Named Sheila Causes Car Crash, Shuts Down Alabama Highway

A runaway kangaroo named Sheila caused a two-vehicle crash that shut down an Alabama highway after it escaped its enclosure on Tuesday, officials said.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said troopers responded to a report of a two-vehicle crash involving a kangaroo in the southbound lane of Interstate 85 near the 46 mile marker in Macon County at around 11:50 a.m. Tuesday. The motorists — and Sheila — were uninjured.

Both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-85 had to be closed for around three hours while troopers and the kangaroo’s owner, Patrick Starr worked to capture her. Sheila, Starr’s personal pet, was eventually tranquilized and taken to Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine for evaluation before returning home.

A video shared by Facebook user Austin Price shows Sheila hopping along the highway, first along the center median, then crossing in front of slowed traffic to reach the grassy shoulder.

“When somebody said there was a kangaroo, of course I didnt believe it, and nobody believed it, but Im looking at him,” Macon County Sheriff Andre Brunson said in a Facebook live video.

“Ive never seen anything like it. We had a bear a few years ago, but never a kangaroo. You never know what youll see in Macon County.”