On May 29, 2024, at 1:00 p.m., a female red kangaroo escaped from Chiang Mai Zoo, prompting an urgent search operation involving zoo officials and national park authorities. The kangaroo, a 2-year-old female, managed to flee its enclosure and was last seen heading towards the Doi Suthep area.
The incident occurred at 7:50 a.m. when the red kangaroo walked past a keeper who was opening the door to its enclosure. The kangaroo then exited through the back door, ran towards the Thai Monkey Exhibition area, and eventually left the zoo premises. It was spotted running up Doi Suthep Road and entering Huai Kaew Village before reaching the Chiang Mai Province Hydrographic Department’s vibration measuring station.
In response, Chiang Mai Zoo officials, along with personnel from Doi Suthep-Pui National Park and the Chiang Mai vibration measuring station, launched a coordinated search effort. Despite these efforts, the kangaroo remains at large, with its last known traces found in the forest near the vibration measuring station within the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park area.
The zoo has deployed search teams and an ambulance, with a veterinary team on standby at the vibration measurement station. Enhanced precision and caution have been emphasized among the staff responsible for the search.
The zoo has reported the escape to the Zoo Organization of Thailand and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and is maintaining continuous monitoring to ensure the kangaroo’s safe recapture.
Chiang Mai Zoo currently houses 23 red kangaroos, consisting of three males and 15 females, with the gender of five young ones yet to be determined. The zoo successfully breeds two to four red kangaroos annually.
Director of Chiang Mai Zoo, Wuttichai Muangman, and Head of Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Phuphichit Chuaybamrung, were involved in coordinating the search efforts.
