Austrian souvenir shops are full of “There’s no kangaroos in Austria” merchandise, playing on people’s confusion of Austria and Australia. Apparently at least one kangaroo didn’t get the message.
Two kangaroos escaped from a private enclosure in Gamiltz, Austria in June (no, we don’t know why they were there) and took off into the wild. One was recaptured a few days later, but the other, named Nanni, has evaded several attempts at capture and remains on the loose.
It’s been spotted and reported a number of times, often by people who at first thought their eyes were playing tricks. A reward of €150 is out for information on its whereabouts.
Bizarrely, it turns out that this is not as uncommon an occurrence as one might think; the past couple of years have seen at least four incidents of escaped kangaroos in Austria and one in Bavaria. Maybe it’s time to ban the souvenir mugs and scarves as false advertising!
