Can a kangaroo survive on the mean streets of Detroit?
Can a kangaroo survive on the mean streets of Detroit? Sinead Friel/CC BY 2.0

It’s not everyday one sees a leashed kangaroo on the streets of Detroit, so the person who filmed a Snapchat video of just that could be forgiven for expressing some animated surprise. 

The video, which was quickly picked up by local news, shows a man running down the street, being led by what is, unmistakably, a hopping kangaroo. 

CBS Detroit managed to track down the identity of the man in the video, Javon Stacks, who runs a traveling zoo. His fully-licensed zoo brings exotic animals to the inner city, performing free shows at schools and libraries, and the kangaroo, whose name is Darwin, is just one of his charges. Apparently, they had been working a birthday party, and Stacks wanted to give Darwin a stretch.

The Detroit Zoo was not as enthused, though, telling CBS Detroit that the kangaroo was likely acquired via the shady exotic animal trade. 

Still, it made for a strange sight, as evidenced by the shocked remarks from the woman filming, and while it’s no Robocop, Detroit may have just found a new viral icon in the making.