Wallaby sparks police chase in Sydney

Sydney police were forced to chase down a wayward wallaby early Tuesday morning after commuters spotted the kangaroo-like animal hopping across Sydney Harbour Bridge.

"Officers from Harbourside and North Shore local area commands were called to the bridge just before 5 a.m. after the marsupial was spotted in lane eight on the northern side of the bridge," police said.

After arriving at the scene, police pursued the wallaby as it "hopped across to lane one," took an exit "without indicating," and entered a street in the city center.

Officers eventually cornered the macropod around 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) south of the bridge near the Conservatorium of Music and handed it over to nearby Taronga Zoo for a medical assessment.

Read more: What do you get if you cross a kangaroo with a wallaby?

"The wallaby has been administered pain medication and fluids and is currently in Taronga's Wildlife Intensive Care Unit for recovery and further monitoring," the zoo said in a statement, adding the animal did not suffer any serious injuries during its attempted escape.

Busy commute

Up to 180,000 vehicles drive over the 1.1. kilometer-long Sydney Harbour Bridge daily to pass between the central and northern parts of the city.

Wallabies and Kangaroos are rarely seen near major city centers. Police suspect the wallaby arrived at the bridge from a nearby golf course in a northern suburb.

But a police spokeswoman told DPA news agency they cannot know for sure: "Unfortunately, he's not talking to us."

Read more: What's the difference between a wallaby and a kangaroo?