The North Holland Police Unit responded on Sunday to the town of Middenmeer, where a resident had called in a sighting of a kangaroo wandering the neighbourhood. Officers were candid about their state of mind on arrival. You expect a lot during a police shift, they wrote afterwards, but a kangaroo on the loose in Middenmeer was not on the list.

The animal turned out to be a wallaby, which is a fair mistake for a member of the public to make and a slightly less fair one for the wallaby, who is presumably tired of being introduced as a small kangaroo.

Whatever the species, it was not interested in being helped. The wallaby was spotted hopping across a busy road and proceeded to lead officers on a chase through the city until a veterinarian arrived and was able to sedate it for a safe capture.

At that point the owner turned up and cleared everything up: the wallaby’s name is Skippy, he is a pet, and he had escaped the previous night. Skippy was returned home unharmed.

For anyone now considering this as a lifestyle: a Dutch law that took effect in July 2024 bans buying and selling pet wallabies, though animals owned before the law came in are allowed to stay. Skippy is grandfathered in, and has clearly decided to make the most of it.