Police kangaroo rescued after abduction by an eagle

An orphaned kangaroo adopted by a police officer in outback Western Australia has survived being abducted by a wedge-tailed eagle. The six-month-old kangaroo was in a yard at the remote Burringurrah Community Police Station on Wednesday when the eagle swooped in, lifted him over the two-metre high fence and carried him away.



Named Cuejo, the red kangaroo was adopted by Cue Police's Constable Scott Mason after its mother was hit and killed by a truck in early March. Constable Mason was on police duties at Burringurrah when he witnessed the eagle swoop . "I ended up chasing after him and the eagle," he said.



"A short distance away the eagle landed with Cuejo and another eagle, which was circling over as well, started pecking or having a go at Cuejo. I managed to scare the eagles away, and then Cuejo got up and obviously being frightened he started running away again," Constable Mason said.



The eagles, who were circling above, saw Cuejo running away and began to chase him down again, putting Constable Mason in pursuit as well. "I finally caught up with him a few hundred metres down the way and found out that he was bleeding quite heavily," he said. "He has a puncture wound to his chest and another puncture wound to his face, as well as heaps of fur pulled off the back of his neck."