DAYTON, Ohio — The pet wallaby that had a few moments of freedom last week has died.
Kipper escaped near Sinclair Community College on April 10 and ran around the Dayton institution for about an hour and 20 minutes before being captured, WHIO reported.
His owner, Dr. Carolyn Reno, the chair of the school’s Veterinary Technology program, said Kipper broke his kennel and ran off. She said he stopped a few times but “decided it was much more fun to run.”
She told WHIO after his capture, “He’s okay, he’s very nervous. He needs to calm down a little bit, but he is doing very well, and we are just so happy to get him back.”
But the school said Kipper died Tuesday morning at home.
Scott Marshall, Director of External Relations/Chief Public Information Officer at Sinclair Community College, released a statement which read, “We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of ‘Kipper,’ who had been a part of Sinclair’s Veterinary Technology program from time-to-time as a visitor, with regard to students’ hands-on learning experiences. Our hearts go out to Dr. Carolyn Reno, Chair of Sinclair’s Veterinary Technology program, who owned the wallaby that lived at her home, and we remain grateful for the joy and educational impact Kipper brought to our entire campus community.”
Kipper’s cause of death was delayed acute capture myopathy, v reported.
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, it is “a non-infectious disease of wild and domestic animals in which muscle damage results from extreme exertion, struggle, or stress.”
The agency said it can develop hours, days or months after a capture.
Early signs include elevated respiratory rate, heart rate and body temperature. Treatment is usually not successful and animals typically die from the condition.
Symptoms include severe muscle breakdown and kidney damage, WHIO reported.