A Mississippi city’s search for a missing wallaby isn’t ending anytime soon

Published 11:04 am Tuesday, March 27, 2018

The disappearance of a pet wallaby from a Hattiesburg neighborhood two weeks ago has united a community hoping to find the missing macropod.

Jeff, a 2-year-old wallaby, went missing from his owner’s subdivision two weeks ago. Outside of a handful of possible sightings, including an unconfirmed capture Sunday that might have ended with Jeff running away, there’s no sign of him anywhere.

Community members have come together to help Jeff’s owner, Logan Whitehead, find the wallaby. There’s a t-shirt campaign. Missing posters. Even a song in Jeff’s honor performed by Van Arnold, the assistant director of media relations at the University of Southern Mississippi.

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It hasn’t stopped there. Local business owners are offering rewards, including Magnolia Graphics, whose owner has also used powered-paragliders to try to find him. Locals are carrying around bread and bananas in case they spot the 3-foot marsupial.

“I’m very concerned about finding this little feller,” Arnold told the Hattiesburg American. “I have a soft spot for animals. I want him returned.”

Jeff’s owner believes he’s likely still in the area.

“I don’t think he’s going to die or is in any danger,” Whitehead told the Hattiesburg American. “He’s just exploring and doing his thing.”