The one-metre kangaroo, believed to be a male, comes out mostly at night or in the early morning, officials said. He makes appearances in backyards and on the county's rural roads.

"People will call in and say, 'I swear I'm not drunk or on drugs, but I just saw a kangaroo,' " state conservation officer Clyde Armstead said Thursday.

The first person to report seeing the kangaroo called police one week after Christmas, saying the animal was in their yard. "The dispatcher thought someone was celebrating New Year's early," Armstead said.

Some think it may belong to the owners of an exotic animal farm in a nearby town, but the owner hasn't come forward.

Armstead and three police officers tried to catch the kangaroo a few nights ago after it was seen along a road. They managed to corner it, but it was too quick for them and it got away.

"There was no way to catch him. It was like chasing a deer," Armstead said. "And even if we did get him, I don't know what we would have done with our bare hands. They can kick pretty hard."