Kangaroo hops its way into Melbourne airport

Australian police had to lock down part of Melbourne airport after an injured kangaroo managed to hop its way into the terminal.

The eastern grey kangaroo caught shoppers at a pharmacy by surprise before it was captured by wildlife volunteers, reports say.

The kangaroo, named Cyrus after one of the helpers on the scene, was tranquilised and caught safely.

The airport is located in an area frequented by kangaroos.

The kangaroo hopped into the terminal after it was hit by a car, reports say.

"He has got injuries to his feet at the moment. His claws are quite worn, that's from hopping down the tarmac and things like that," wildlife volunteer Ella Rountree told the Associated Press (AP).

Johnson Law, who works at the pharmacy, said he initially did not believe his co-worker when she told him there was a kangaroo at the shop.

"I just kept on doing what I was doing, yeah, I thought it was a bit of a joke," he told AP.

The kangaroo would be taken to a veterinarian to be examined, Wildlife Victoria said in a statement.

The marsupials are known to occasionally make their way into the airport, though the tarmac is guarded to prevent them posing a hazard to planes.