Chicago’s Kangaroo Encounters
Straight Dope Chicago has the story:
Did a phantom kangaroo once haunt Chicago?
March 11, 2010
Dear Cecil:
I came across a cryptozoology reference which claims Chicago police pursued a mysterious kangaroo or kangaroo-like creature in October, 1974, but the critter escaped. What was that all about? Did it even happen?
— Una Persson, Overland Park, Kansas
Cecil replies:
It wasn’t a kangaroo, Una. It was a phantom kangaroo. A kangaroo is a cute story in the newspapers for a couple months. A phantom kangaroo, as the cryptozoologists prefer to put it, takes us into the realm of myth. Mark my words, the legend of the phantom kangaroo(s) of Chicago will be told around the campfires a thousand years hence.
The story broke on October 19, 1974, when the Tribune reported that a 150-pound kangaroo had made monkeys out of two Chicago cops in Jefferson Park. That should put you on your guard right there. Nothing ever happens in Jefferson Park, and the cops have a lot of time on their hands. This tempts them to be inventive. (I have personal knowledge of this. No, I’m not giving you any details.) Ain’t claiming that’s what happened here, just saying I wouldn’t rule it out…
Check out the whole explanation (a LOT of detail here!)
