Watch: Kangaroos roaming about in West Bengal shocks internet, videos go viral

Jalpaiguri/Bhubaneswar: Kangaroos, the two-legged animals that are largely found in the land Down Under, were spotted in India’s West Bengal recently.

Footage and pictures of the animals in eastern India have left social media users stunned considering the fact that the animals are thousands of kilometres away from their natural habitat.

Forest Department officials told mediapersons on Saturday that they had rescued three kangaroos from different areas of Siliguri town. In what appears to be a case of animal smuggling, the forest officials also found a dead baby kangaroo.

Here's a video.
Just look at the poor, distraught animals who are clearly in a state of shock.pic.twitter.com/eVEceWGAHP

— Soumyadipta (@Soumyadipta) April 2, 2022

“After being rescued, all three kangaroos were sent for treatment. We are surprised as to who brought these kangaroos here and how. We suspect these kangaroos were being smuggled to Nepal. But we are looking into the motive behind smuggling as well,” said a forest official.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, the kangaroos can be seen trying to eat grass growing at the roadside while inspecting their unfamiliar surroundings. Many local residents spotted the animals and quickly shot videos and photos before putting them up on the internet.

Got this on WhatsApp. It looks like fled away from Zoo…anyone know the reality@IndiAves @ParveenKaswan pic.twitter.com/4WWWYwPVVQ

— Sudhakar Kumar (@MyPicsSpeaks) April 2, 2022

The initial reaction of the locals was to wonder if the kangaroos had escaped a zoo. But forest officials clarified that they were in the region because of animal smuggling.

“They are not present in any zoo in this area. They are part of smuggling. Later seized. In zoo now for safe custody. Last month also two were arrested with a kangaroo,” wrote IFS officer Parveen Kaswan on Twitter.