A BUSY main road was closed while nine police officers chased an elusive marsupial which successfully resisted arrest for 30 minutes.

But the furry fugitive - a young male wallaby native to Australia - had its taste of freedom cut short when it was shot with a tranquilliser gun.

Police were alerted at 5.25pm on Sunday by a motorist driving on the A456 between Kidderminster and Bewdley who spotted it outside the entrance to the West Midland Safari Park.

Officers finally cornered the agile two foot tall animal in the park's car park soon after 6pm and waited for reinforcements. West Midland Safari Park head warden Bob Lawrence with the tranquilliser gun he used to subdue a runaway wallaby.

No owner has yet come forward and the wallaby, similar to a kangaroo, will probably stay at the park permanently.

"The officers were trying to contain it and get it back towards the park," said a police spokeswoman.

"It really was giving them the runaround up and down the road."

The spokeswoman said the road closure was necessary to protect both the police and the animal.

The park's head warden Bob Lawrence said the new arrival was busy making friends with the other 90 wallabies, which are popular with visitors.

In August two wallabies escaped from Shatterford Wildlife Sanctuary and Fishery but were caught with the help of a sheep dog.