Missing pet wallaby still out playing road warrior

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A pet wallaby that disappeared from its North Salem home in March is apparently still on walkabout — as it's been spotted as recently as a few weeks ago.

"People who didn't know he was missing are surprised to see a small kangaroo," Susan Saks said of their family's missing marsupial, Indy. "He's traveled the gamut of our neighboring towns over the past eight months."

The wallaby has been seen near Patterson, in Lewisboro and about a month ago in Brewster.

"He knows what dinner is and we're hoping he shows up at someone's back door," Saks said Thursday.

If Indy does show up at your door, he'll likely run away when he sees you, Saks said. But she asks anyone who does see the pet to say in a calm voice, "Indy come," and "home."

"He knows those words, and he may come to you after a few minutes," she said.

Indy likes crackers, including Triscuits and Wheat Thins, apple slices and toasted wheat bread. Saks said he's gentle, friendly and social once he gets to know a person.

"It's nice that he's still alive after eight months and that he wasn't hit by a car or attacked by a coyote," she said.

But with winter approaching, Indy's biggest threat could be the cold weather. Temperatures that dip below 10 degrees could be fatal.

Indy is about 6 years old and became part of the family after their son rescued him from someone who had kept him in a cage. Indy was living in a large fenced-in area on the Saks' Titicus Road home when, they think, a deer may have scared him and he ran off.

Wallabies look similar to — but are smaller than — kangaroos and are also native to Australia. They are pouched mammals with long tails and powerful hind legs for jumping. They eat mainly grass and plants.

Anyone who sees Indy is asked to call Saks at 914-669-0006.