Reported kangaroo on the loose in Baltimore was a red fox

Nov. 2 (UPI) -- A rumored baby kangaroo on the loose in Baltimore is most likely just a common red fox, a Maryland Zoo official said.

Baltimore Animal Enforcement Officer Bruno Genis responded last week to a report of a kangaroo near Druid Hill Park, and while he and his partner found no signs of a marsupial, news of the sighting quickly spread across the area.

Victoria Howard, 73, said she spotted the kangaroo in the alley behind her McCulloh Street home while letting her dog, Georgie, out from the back door.

"It was a kangaroo! I looked and I saw him. I said, 'Whooee! Come on Georgie!' I scooped him up and ran," Howard told The Baltimore Banner.

Howard's home is only a few blocks from the Maryland Zoo, but Communications Director Mike Evitts said the facility does not have kangaroos, and has not housed any members of the species in some time. He said the zoo has not had any recent escapes.

Howard's daughter was later able to obtain surveillance camera footage of her mother's encounter, showing a small animal appear in the alley and giving Georgie a fright.

Margaret Rose-Innes, the Maryland Zoo's curator, said the animal in the footage is not a kangaroo or a wallaby.

"This is a red fox," she said. "They're native to Maryland and it's not uncommon for them to live in the city as they're extremely adaptable. As you can see in the video, they're not a threat to pets, and are much more likely to be on the hunt for rodents."

Kangaroos and wallabies are sometimes kept as exotic pets in the United States, but they are not legal in the city of Baltimore. A runaway wallaby was spotted last month next to a road in Mina, N.Y., and another was captured after five days on the loose in the Chicago suburbs in September.