No answers from zoo: Where is Kangaroo Jack?

JACK, one of the red kangaroos at the Emperor Valley Zoo, became famous earlier this year after concerns about his health were raised on social media – images were circulated that showed him looking lethargic and emaciated.

There were assurances he was in good health. But he was removed from the public viewing enclosure in March and has never returned.

The zoo is tight-lipped on where he is now and his current health status.

The zoo said Jack was brought there in January 2023 with physical issues from another local animal-care facility, Safari Eco Park.

Former officials of the now-defunct Chaguaramas facility have since denied this and said he was healthy when handed over. They also said Jack was turning nine this year.

The earliest pictures of Jack on the park's social media pages were uploaded in 2016. Comments on photos and videos of him there described him as fun and loving.

In March 2024, photos and videos of an emaciated Jack at the zoo went viral on social media and sparked outrage.

The zoo said the kangaroo was not being starved, and the Agriculture Ministry investigated and shared a similar conclusion. Both parties deemed the animal as being “in fair health.”

The investigating team, which included veterinary experts, said Jack was “bright, alert, and responsive to stimuli.” The report said he moved easily in his enclosure, which indicated a satisfactory level of physical activity.

It estimated he was 15-20 years old, so his anatomy was “consistent with the levels of muscle loss at that age.”

The average lifespan of a red kangaroo is around eight years in the wild and up to 23 years in captivity. It is the largest species of kangaroo. They are herbivores and mainly eat grass, herbs and shrubs.

Newsday visited the zoo twice in April after the investigation was complete and asked about Jack, but was told no senior officials were around to speak.

During Newsday’s second visit, the receptionist at the zoo was heard telling someone on the phone: “The reporter from Newsday is back. What to tell her?”

A worker who sought anonymity had said the animal was doing well. The worker said given the online uproar at the time, Jack was temporarily taken out of public view, but would be back out for Easter. This never happened.

Newsday called and messaged Zoological Society president Gupte Lutchmedial and zoological officer Sharleen Khan several times throughout April, but never got a response.

Last week, another zoo staff member told Newsday that workers were told Jack had been sent to the San Diego Zoo in the US.

When Newsday contacted that zoo about the animal, an official said in an e-mail that the San Diego Zoo had never received a red kangaroo from the Emperor Valley Zoo.

Newsday visited the zoo last week and saw only a female red kangaroo in the enclosure, who seemed to be healthy.

In August 2019, the zoo got four red kangaroos. The Agriculture Ministry had said they were bred in captivity in the US "for research and education." Two were two-year-old males and the other two 18-month-old females.

A source who works closely with the zoo told Newsday to ask officials whether Jack had died not too long after his rise to social media fame. The source neither confirmed nor denied the claim, but insisted the question should be put to someone who could speak to the media on the record.

But further calls, WhatsApp and Facebook messages and e-mails to the zoo, Lutchmedial, Khan, the Agriculture Ministry and Agriculture Minister Kazim Hosein have gone unanswered over the last week.

Newsday also contacted the zoo’s assistant curator Richard Wallace, who said he was "not at liberty” to answer, adding that he has not been at the zoo for two weeks, since he is on vacation.

Newsday spoke to one other zookeeper, who also said they could not answer questions from the media.

When Newsday called the contact number specifically assigned to the Zoological Society, a worker said they would pass on the questions and someone would return the call. This never happened.

A former Safari Eco Park volunteer told Newsday when they visited the zoo in May and asked to see him, they were told he was "recovering in another area."

They added, "It's really upsetting so many months have passed by and only now people are noticing he is missing."

The former volunteer no longer lives in Trinidad and Tobago, and had been visiting in May.

So the question remains: Where is Kangaroo Jack?