22 Apr 2022

On the edges of forests in eastern India, people have been stumbling upon hungry, scared marsupials that they do not recognize. The animals are kangaroos.

Three of the marsupials were rescued by wildlife officers this month after residents called in sightings. One was found dead. Videos of the sightings were shared widely in India, drawing national attention.

Wildlife experts say the animals were almost certainly born in breeding facilities in Southeast Asia and smuggled overland into India, where they were probably destined to be exotic pets. Some social media users have demanded the arrest of whoever had trafficked them. But so far no arrests have been made.

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