'Kangaroo' in Las Vegas parking lot was a South American rodent

April 24 (UPI) -- Las Vegas Police were recorded rounding up an exotic South American rodent -- initially confused for a kangaroo -- spotted running around a parking lot.

Twitter user LaLoMontoya5 posted video to the microblogging site showing Las Vegas Police and Clark County Animal Control officers chasing an animal the Twitter user incorrectly identified as a "kangaroo" around a strip mall parking lot.

Police confirmed they responded to the report of the exotic animal about 2:10 p.m. and the animal, a Patagonian mara, native to Argentina, was captured around 3 p.m.

Witness Amber Ryan said the mara was thrown out of a car onto a street near the parking lot.

"A black, 4-door car opened up and threw this little animal out," Ryan told KTNV-TV. "They have no regard for the animal's safety at all."

Patagonian maras are classified as a near-threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but they are legal to own as pets without a permit in Nevada.

Ken Foose, owner of the Exotic Pets store, said he sells three or four maras a year.

"It's not a big selling animal," Foose told KSNV-TV. "It's not a very social creature."

The mara, which suffered only a scratch on the nose, was examined by a veterinarian specializing in exotic species and is in the custody of local shelter The Animal Foundation while officials attempt to identify its owner.

Officials said the mara does not have a microchip and does not appear to be domesticated.