📢 Enter the Swedish News Sensation
Less than 30 hours later, Gotland's news outlets were all over us, asking if they could invade our home to breathlessly report on... The Great Wallaby Escape of 2025.
We said, "Hell, noooo!"
And then? We waited.
In most cases where exotic animals escape on this island (or possibly the whole country), someone will attempt to hunt them down.
The police, or...
A vet with a dart gun, or...
A very enthusiastic civilian who might have seen Jumanji and Indiana Jones too many times.
A few of the escapees that have been arrested with much fanfare on this island are:
✔️ Two crocodiles
✔️ A water buffalo
✔️ Two wallabies
✔️ A porcupine
✔️ A boa constrictor
✔️ Several parrots
✔️ A Russian tortoise
✔️ An elephant
So yeah. We were very, very invested in getting Olli back before Sweden activated its SWAT Team for Rogue Kangaroos.
🐾 Tuesday: Olli, The Escape Artist
Wallabies are creatures of habit. Despite his newfound freedom, Olli is and always will be food-motivated. And he knew when dinner would be served.
Every early morning and late evening, he showed up at the fence...
👋 To say hi to his wallaby friends.
🦘 To brag about his daring adventure.
🥕 To eat the carrot slices and sunflower seeds we put out for him.
For three nights and two mornings, this little shit outmaneuvered every trap we built around his dinner plate.
Then, finally, we went all-out Alcatraz.
We built a 200-square-meter (2100 sq ft) enclosure add-on with a 1.8m (6ft) fence.
And at long last, Olli hopped in.
And ate his damn carrots.
While he happily munched, we sealed every exit. Then, we cut a hole into the main enclosure to reunite him with the other wallabies.
🎉 The Great Wallaby Drama of 2025 is officially over 🎉
You see, nothing ever happens on this island. The most commonly reported crime is people driving into ditches. I kid you not. So, naturally...
📢 Gotland Radio showed up for a LIVE INTERVIEW.
This isn’t even our first time making the news. We were once interviewed because our cat, Dieter, ran away.
Nope. Still not kidding.
Because Olli’s escapades stole almost a WEEK of writing time, I’m not moving away from my laptop until The Memory Collector is finished (goal: this Sunday).
If anyone has leftover good luck, time-turners, or motivational quotes they’re willing to share, please send them my way.
I need to keep my sanity intact. Or, what’s left of it.
Until next time,
