A kangaroo broke into a multi-storey carpark in Australia, sparking a tense showdown with a government sharpshooter.

The animal, a young female, managed to get stuck on the fifth floor of the parking lot at Melbourne International Airport.

Victoria state wildlife officer Sue Anderson stalked the errant beast around the cars for fifteen minutes before finally shooting it with a tranquiliser dart.

A vet who examined the animal at the scene said it had sore paws and would spend the night at a clinic before being released back into the wild.

There were unconfirmed reports the animal had gone to the airport in a bid to skip the country.