PLATTE CITY, Mo. — The 911 calls on Thanksgiving Day showed the confusion in Platte City when Noah the Wallaby got out, but the calls don’t show the heartache Emily Wood and her family went through and continue to go through.
“When he got out, my whole world came crashing down,” said 16-year-old Emily Wood. “My whole family’s world came crashing down. We spent a good three hours looking for him, just praying that he would come back.”
Since that day, Emily and her family have been fighting to get their Wallaby, Noah, back from the Kansas City Zoo. Tuesday night, the Platte City Safety Committee delivered a devastating blow to that effort saying Noah shouldn’t be allowed to live in Platte City.
“It’s not something you take lightly because obviously people are concerned about their pets,” D.J. Gehrt, the City Administrator says.
He’s an exotic pet, meaning non-indigenous to the area and not livestock. The city’s current laws say exotic animals aren’t allowed in city limits. The committee suggests it should stay that way.
“We are really concerned about how this could open the door to other exotic animals,” Gehrt explains.
This committee’s word isn’t the final decision.
“There is still a chance, and I am holding onto that chance for dear life,” Wood says.
The final decision will come on Tuesday, January 10 at the full board meeting in Platte City.
