Woman Finds Tasmanian Devil in Home After Mistaking Wild Animal for Golden Retriever's Dog Toy
Getty
An Australian woman had a wild encounter in her living room on Wednesday.
According to The Guardian, Kirsten Lynch was relaxing inside her Hobart home, located on the Australian island state of Tasmania, on Dec. 28 when she decided to grab her golden retriever's plush Tasmanian devil toy. The only issue was when Lynch went to touch the toy — it ran away.
"I went to reach for it, the devil shot underneath the couch," the dog owner told The Guardian.
Lynch responded to the shocking reveal with a scream that woke up her family, who came rushing to see what the commotion was about. Lynch's husband carefully shooed the Tasmanian devil — a carnivorous marsupial native to Tasmania that grows the size of a large house cat — out of the house while Lynch and her children stayed out of the way on top of the kitchen table.
RELATED: Florida Homeowner Calls Snake Catchers for Help After 'Huge' Boa Constrictor Slithers into Yard
"We were concerned that if she or he was cornered and scared, they would bite someone," Lynch said to the outlet.
"I got the fright of my life. But to be honest, I think the poor thing was more terrified of us," she added.
RELATED: Texas Man Living with 13 Golden Retrievers Gives Peek at Life: 'Happiness Is an Understatement'
Before the Tasmanian devil left the house, Lynch managed to get a video of the critter scooting around her dining room table. In the clip, obtained by The Guardian, the wild animal also digs through cupboards and walks around the supplies Lynch has for her pets.
RELATED VIDEO: Snow Leopard Plays with Holiday Gifts at Rosamond Gifford Zoo
The family believes the Tasmanian devil got into the house, which backs up onto undeveloped bushland, by following their puppy Gecko inside after the pet went outdoors for a bathroom break.
Lynch told The Guardian the Tasmanian devil appeared to be an uninjured juvenile.
