Noah the wallaby hit with one more setback in effort to return home
It looks like Noah, the Platte City wallaby made famous during a Thanksgiving Day escape from his owner’s yard, might not be able to hop back home after all. The Platte City Public Safety Sub-Committee ruled this week that wallabies fall under the city’s definition of “exotic” animals, which are banned under city ordinance.
Noah was sent to the Kansas City Zoo after he was corralled on Thanksgiving, and he has lived there since, as the committee considered returning him to his owner, Emily Wood, and her parents. After the committee made its decision, Wood told KCTV Channel 5 that she was devastated. “It hurts, it honestly does, it hurts,” she told the station. But, Wood added, “I do understand that they’re looking out for the community, and I honestly do respect it. If I were in their shoes and I didn’t know much about it, I would be concerned for the community as well,” she told the station.
During a committee meeting in December, Wood said she and her family, who adopted Noah four years ago, would leave Platte City before they would give up their marsupial pet. The Pitch previously reported that finding a nearby marsupial-friendly municipality would be difficult. Most cities and counties in the area have ordinances that ban ownership of nontraditional pets.
All hope is not lost for Noah, however. The committee’s recommendation will go to the Platte City Board of Alderman on January 10 for a vote.
