Vanilla Ice reunited with wallaroo, goat

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP)  Bucky Buckaroo the wallaroo and Pancho the goat may soon be back in the custody of their rapper owner Vanilla Ice.

Robert Van Winkle, formerly known as Vanilla Ice, carries his pet wallaroo Bucky from Port St. Lucie, Fla., Animal Control. Matthew Ratajczak Stuart News via AP

Bucky and Pancho escaped more than a week ago and spent several days frolicking in the streets and wooded areas of St. Lucie County in southeast Florida. They made a run for it after Pancho nudged open an unlocked door with his head and the two broke out of a relative's backyard.

The animals were captured Nov. 13 after the 60-pound wallaroo — a cross between a wallaby and a kangaroo — scratched a woman's car. But Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert van Winkle, was out of town and could not immediately claim them.

When the rapper arrived at animal control offices Friday, officials fined him $220 because his permit for the pets had expired. So Bucky and Pancho are staying temporarily with an exotic animal breeder.

"I'm pretty shocked at all the attention," the rapper said, holding up clippings of newspaper stories on the incident. "They get more attention here than they do at home."

He says he expects he'll be able to reclaim the animals after he pays another fine to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Vanilla Ice climbed to fame with his 1990 rap hit Ice Ice, Baby. Of late, he has appeared on the WB's Surreal Life reality show, which featured celebrities whose fame had faded.

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