A Pet Kangaroo Named Ollie Hopped Loose in Tennessee. He Never Went Far.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Tenn., Oct. 23, 2026 — Earlier this week, people in rural Maury County were asked to watch for an unusual runaway: a pet kangaroo named Ollie wearing a purple leash. By Thursday evening the search was over. Ollie was safe at home, and according to FOX 17 News he had never really left the neighborhood.

Ollie got out of his pen on Mack Benderman Road in Mount Pleasant around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, WSMV reported. His owner was about to take him on his daily walk, part of getting him used to his new home, when he slipped out and bounded off toward Southport Road.

## A Fast Escape Artist

Catching up with a kangaroo on foot was never realistic. "They can go — I think I had read about 25 miles per hour. So he is pretty quick," a neighbor helping with the search told WSMV.

Without a trail to follow, the search moved to social media, where neighbors traded tips and possible sightings. One report put Ollie near the dam area in Riverside in Columbia, about 15 miles from home, WSMV reported. After that, the tips stopped coming.

UPI picked up the story Thursday, and people well beyond Middle Tennessee started watching for a kangaroo on a purple leash.

## The Happy Ending

On Thursday evening, FOX 17 News reported that Ollie had been found and was back home. An update shared by a neighbor said he had stayed in the Mack Benderman area all along. That meant the Columbia sighting was most likely a different animal, or just wishful thinking.

The purple leash and collar made him easy to spot, FOX 17 noted. Searchers had been told not to approach him, because he's timid and still getting used to people. They were asked to call local authorities instead, WSMV reported.

## Yes, You Can Have a Kangaroo in Tennessee

Under Tennessee's wildlife classification law, kangaroos are Class III animals, a category that doesn't require a wildlife possession permit from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. So keeping one doesn't take a state wildlife permit, even if the neighbors are surprised to see one.

Ollie is young and only recently arrived at his new home, according to local reports. He may now have the best-known daily walk in Maury County.

> What We Know
> - Who: Ollie, a young pet kangaroo
> - Where: Mack Benderman Road, Mount Pleasant, Maury County, Tennessee
> - Escaped: Tuesday, Oct. 20, around 4:30 p.m., before his daily walk
> - Search: Neighbors tracked tips on social media; one unconfirmed sighting about 15 miles away
> - Found: Thursday, Oct. 22, safe at home, per FOX 17; he never left the area
> - Legal: Kangaroos are Class III wildlife in Tennessee, with no TWRA possession permit needed

Reported by WSMV, FOX 17 News, UPI, WKRN

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