'Hurts my heart:' Kangaroo that disappeared after jumping fence in Shawano hit by car, killed

SHAWANO -- A kangaroo that lived at a petting zoo behind Anello's Torch Lite Restaurant in Shawano hopped away from its owners' home -- and was struck by a car and killed on Tuesday, Nov. 27, according to our partners at WLUK in Green Bay.

Lulu, the red kangaroo, lived with almost 80 animals -- including owl monkeys, a lemur and Olaf the albino wallaby -- at the petting zoo in rural Shawano County. Lulu and Olaf were buddies since joining the Mondus family a few months apart earlier this year.

"It is very much a part of our family, and it just hurts my heart," said Rita Mondus.

Lulu hopped over a fence on Sunday evening, Nov. 25. The fence was unwrapped, and supposed to keep Lulu and Olaf enclosed on the back porch for a few minutes of fresh air.

"I'd have never put them out there if I would have thought in a million years that she would have challenged that fence, because she had never challenged jumping on a chair, on a sofa, on a bed. This one will, but that one has never jumped up on anything ever," said Rita Mondus.

Within an hour of Lulu's disappearance, a neighbor about a mile away called saying they thought they saw the kangaroo in their yard.

"When they want to move, they want to move. Who is to say? It could be in Bonduel. It could be in Shawano. It could be in our backyard. You just don't know. If it can just get through this night, it's got a couple more days to be found," said Rita Mondus.

Again -- WLUK reported a tragic update on Tuesday night. Lulu was struck by a vehicle and killed, the owners confirmed. She was 5 or 6 months old.