Care of Joeys

Joey 1. Robin.

Robin’s mother was shot by a Commercial Kangaroo Harvester a few weeks ago. The shooter just left little Robin to fend for himself. He weighed barely 1kg so had no chance of surviving on his own. I heard him calling for his mother for 2 days but couldn’t reach him to help, then a miracle happened! I arrived home to find him, surrounded by 6 mother kangaroos, at the bottom of the steps to my house. He was so weak that he opened his mouth to call for help but no sound came out. Robin just wanted someone to pick him up and hug him. As soon as I held him against my heart, all the mother kangaroos who had brought him ‘home’ took off into the forest. Little Robin required very intense care for several days but, thankfully, has been well ever since. He is bold and happy and engages well with his ‘brothers’ but, every now and then, I find him tucked down inside his pouch, looking wistful and sucking his toe. Is he missing his mama? I think so & on those sad days lots of extra cuddles are in order

Joey 2: Tower.

Tower’s mother was chased by someone who doesn’t like kangaroos and became tangled in a barbed wire fence while trying to escape. She was hanging upside down, caught in the barbs by her feet. It was freezing cold that day and Tower was lying motionless in the snow beside his mother after falling out of her pouch. He was very young and didn’t even have fur to protect him from the icy conditions. I thought he was dead. Tower moved slightly when I picked him up so i immediately placed him against my skin to warm him slowly and to comfort him as he would have been so afraid. I cared for Tower and his mother in the same room, hanging his pouch next to her so she could clean and comfort him because she was too badly injured to have him in her pouch. Tower stayed with me after his mama was released because he still needs milk but he stands on the verandah & shouts and someone always shouts back…Tower’s mother knows he is here &, I’m sure, can’t wait for him to rejoin his family.

Joey 3: Batman!

And the other handsome guy is big brother Ricky. Batman’s mama jumped 2 barbed wire fences to escape from a farmer who was chasing her with a rifle. The farmer wanted to kill her because he doesn’t want to share his land. I was so relieved as i watched Batman’s mother jump those fences without getting caught & horrified as I saw her bump her ankle on a big rock & fall, dropping poor Batman on the ground. She struggled to stand up then ran for her life from the farmer who was trying to shoot her. She stopped momentarily to pick up Batman but he was so far behind, & so tiny, that she couldn’t even see him. I clicked to Batman & he came running to me. I hugged him. I don’t think I’ve ever her seen a baby kangaroo who was more sad. That afternoon I waited with Batman for his mother to come up from the forest, hoping to reunite them, but she never came. Batman was very unwell for weeks, as often happens with very sad joeys. I picked native medicine plants for him every day & now he’s 100% well & happy.

Joey 4: Fly

Fly is a teenaged baby joey who was hanging upside down by one leg in the barbed wire fence. Only his big toe was caught so he nearly made it home to safety. Because he could push on the ground with his free leg and, due to the 35 degree heat, his prognosis was very poor upon rescue. However, we had no idea just who we were dealing with! Fly is so brave! He is so tenacious! Joyful and accepting of help, he has come back from the brink of death to be a healthy, happy little man. He lost his toe and has required months of physiotherapy to repair the damage to his hip and thigh but his future is bright provided we can protect him from the Commercial Kangaroo Industry and other people who want him dead. Fly knows when I’m making his bottle and gives me vocal encouragement to hurry up. It’s hilarious!

Joey 5: River

(well River's pods anyway!)

River is new, cautious and (clearly) camera shy. I’m surprised he even let us see his boots today. This little fellow dived  into a river while his mother was being mauled to death by hunting dogs. His mama trained him well as fleeing into water is sometimes the only thing which saves kangaroos whose lives are in peril. Instinctively excellent swimmers, Kangaroos often have the upper hand while in water, their big feet (macro pods) making it easy to tread water for long periods. I’d like to think River’s mama took some comfort in her final, terrifying moments from the fact that River was safe in the water and uninjured. I wonder whether she noticed the beautiful human soul who dived in after River & bundled him up in her shirt. A fine young woman who will, one day, make things better for all animals. Anyway, you’ll just have to take my word for it, the little guy in this pouch is a pretty boy with all the cheeky charm & playfulness you’d expect.

Joey 6: Lego.

You could not meet a more loving, caring, helpful being. Lego was left in his dead mother’s pouch after she was shot by a Commercial Kangaroo Harvester. He had no fur and his eyes were only just open, so very young, yet still called for help when he heard our footsteps approaching and cried for his mama as I took him gently from her cold, hard, now dead pouch. What a tragedy for them both. Lego is a prince among kangaroos who goes out of his way to kiss and hug the younger baby joeys to comfort them. He watches their every move and runs to their side if they are ‘lost’ then brings them home to me. This world needs Lego. He is a healer of the Earth. A shining light of love and compassion who is breaking down barriers to interspecies communication. He will only survive if humans stop killing kangaroos.