Search is on after runaway wallaby named Rex escapes from New Jersey farm

New Jersey authorities are using drones to search for an escaped wallaby that jumped out of a Gloucester County animal farm Monday evening.

Rex, a 3-year-old wallaby, wandered away from Lots of Love Farm in Williamstown after the gate was left unlocked overnight.

The missing marsupial was later spotted in a Walmart parking lot about five miles from the farm Tuesday morning.

Sue Layden, who owns the animal sanctuary with her husband, told Fox News Digital that they have been living with Rex for a few years, and he “loves people,” along with romaine lettuce.

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She described it as a “miniature kangaroo,” noting that it can jump nearly 10 feet in a single hop and reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.

“They move around,” Layden said. “In the wild, they’re predators, they don’t really have any real defence, so their first instinct is to run. That’s what puts them in that frame of mind. It’s not like that here, but strangers screaming ‘Oh my God!’ might.”

Wallabies are small to medium-sized marsupials that resemble kangaroos, native to Australia and neighboring islands.

A wallaby rex allegedly escaped through an unlocked gate at an animal sanctuary in New Jersey. (Lots of farm love via Facebook)

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Layden added that the farm believes Rex will come home because he is well socialized with humans.

“He’s out [and went] Right through the forest. “I don’t think he really wants to leave the house,” she said. “People who visit [the farm] Pet him and love him, so he will love him here. …I’m just making sure he sticks around, because if he gets close enough and walks in, his pen will be open waiting for him.

While Layden admitted that Rex is “adorable,” describing him as a stuffed animal with a marsupial personality, she said that’s not always the case.

“In the wild, if you corner them, they attack,” Layden said. “You get kind of slapped.”

Officials are searching for a missing wallaby, named Rex, who remains at large in New Jersey. (And it is eclipsed)

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A pet drone locator company is helping in the search, and Layden stressed that the community should not try to chase him.

“We’ve gotten some good advice, so we’re checking all that out,” she said.