Man Runs Down Detroit Street With Kangaroo On A Leash [VIDEO]
(CBS Detroit) Wacky things are known to happen in Detroit, and the sights aren't always run of the mill.
But this is new: A woman just posted a video of man running down a Detroit street with a kangaroo on a leash.
Comments came fast and furious, including this gem: "crack heads can tame any animal."
The whole thing brought up a lot of questions and it took some time to gather answers.
Eventually, CBS Detroit tracked down the man in the video, Javon Stacks, and he set the record straight.
Stacks said he runs a company called Exotic Zoo, a traveling zoo that brings exotic animals to schools, libraries and kids' parties. They're based in Michigan, but travel across the Midwest. Stacks said his company is licensed, both state and federally, and the animals are well treated.
"You have many inner city kids, they don't have any transportation to the zoo, their parents don't have the finances," Stacks said. "So we perform at libraries and schools for free and through grants. We like to educate people."
In this case, he was at a kid's party and decided to bring the kangaroo named Darwin outside to stretch his legs a bit. The video was taken in Detroit's University District, near the Detroit Golf Club.
"There's not a lot of space for a kangaroo to hop around inside so I brought him outside," Stacks said. "That was the last animal in our show, someone was riding by and they were just filming us and they put it on the internet. A picture is worth a thousand words."
He said he's always clear with kids that animals like kangaroos and lemurs don't belong in a house as a pet. He tells kids to ask for pets like turtles.
Still, the Detroit Zoo, for one, is not a fan.
"Unfortunately, this kangaroo likely was acquired through the exotic pet trade," spokeswoman Patricia Janeway said. "This is a good opportunity to remind your readers about the consequences of keeping an exotic animal as a pet. These animals require special care, housing, proper diet, healthcare and maintenance that the average person cannot provide."
Kelly McLaughlin, a spokesperson for Detroit Animal Control, told WWJ's Sandra McNeill they have received a call about the animal and they're looking into it.