For
the next few hours she hated us and didn't want us anywhere
near her. Poor Floss, she looked so sad. A few hours later though,
she let us give her a cuddle and she seemed content.
The
next day Floss seemed so much brighter and she amazed us by
jumping away from us and having her first explore of the garden.
We were absolutely thrilled!
We
were told to give her another dose the following evening, which
we did with dread, and although she still didn't like it she
didn't react as badly as she had the day before.
The
following day she astonished us again by being a completely
different kangaroo! She had such vitality and she enjoyed her
first dash around the garden, followed in hot pursuit by Google.
Since then Floss' true character has really shone out. She is
a funny little girl, inquisitive and full of cheekiness! How
we delighted in her happy-go-lucky character!
Funnily
enough it seems to be feast or famine, so to speak, when it
comes to critters in care. We seem to have either none or tonnes!
Soon
after Floss came Maddy (a Swamp Wallaby), then Sassy (a Wallaroo)
and then Marshall (another Swamp Wallaby). Marshall was our
first male swampy and an absolute joy with his crazy antics
(but that is another story). Then came Rustle, the third Eastern
Grey to come to us that season.
Due
to Rustles upbringing he hadn't seen another kangaroo since
he was separated from his mother. Rustle was a whopping eleven
kilos when he was transferred to us from another carer in the
upper Blue Mountains area. He should have been transferred to
a pre-release site long before, but he had been subjected to
a stressful time and the normal steps of raising and releasing
a kangaroo had been delayed.
Rustle
had previously been a pet, kept in the wrong conditions and
he was such an anxious and nervous creature. He had been surrendered
by his "owners" because the family pack of dogs had
chased him and he had collided with a fence post giving him
a huge swollen black eye. He was given to a carer who lived
close by whose job was to reduce his stress levels and introduce
him to a secure and safe environment.
When
the time was right Rustle was transferred to us, via an overnight
stay at a fellow carers residence. The carer, Kylie, had another
Eastern Grey joey in care at the time called Lilly, and she
was the first kangaroo that Rustle had seen in a long time.
Because
of Rustles tumultuous past, too many moves between carers and
meeting another kangaroo for the first time, the move to our
property would have only added more stress to an already highly
frazzled animal.
He
was totally bewildered by all the changes and frightened of
all the macropods that we had in care. He especially didn't
like Floss and whenever she ventured near Rustle she would receive
a clobbering from him.
Google
was closer to Rustles size however, and stood her ground when
Rustle got feisty, he received a whack or two in return!
It
took just over a week for Rustle to settle in and decide he
really did like being part of a mob. Floss, Google and Rustle
formed a tight little team and would follow each other everywhere.
Some weeks later we noticed that Rustle seemed lethargic and
he had started to scour. We were preparing to go on holidays
and considered cancelling if his condition didn't improve. We
wondered what had given him the diarrhoea and thought it might
be something he ate in the garden.
We
investigated the area to establish a cause and came across an
oleander tree which we presumed was the cause. Oleander is highly
poisonous to animals and it can be fatal if a lot has been consumed.
When we moved to the property we quickly cut the offending tree
down leaving only a small stump. Nearly two years later the
tree had re-sprouted and there were about six leaves on the
stump, one leaf looked as though the top had been chewed.
We
moved Rustle inside and set up a comfortable area for him in
the laundry. We encouraged him to drink water mixed with charcoal
to remove any toxins in his gut. We also gave him a dose of
Baycox in case he had developed coccidiosis. We took turns in
getting up through the night and checking on him, giving him
more water and cleaning up the diarrhoea. In the morning we
were happy to see that he had gotten up and was waiting at the
laundry door to be let out.
We
had planned on leaving early that morning but decided to wait
so that we could keep an eye on him. After five hours of observation
in which he seemed to gain more energy and didn't scour, we
decided to head off. I arranged for Marea to check on Rustle
that afternoon and Kylie the following morning.
I
rang Marea that night to see how he was and she told me that
he still had the scours but seemed alert. He had been lying
down in the front garden when she arrived and had diarrhoea
down his legs and on his tail so she cleaned him up. Afterwards
he hopped away and started to graze, a good sign that he was
on the improve.
The
next morning Kylie arrived to find a very sick boy. He was extremely
lethargic and dehydrated and was having problems standing up.
Kylie, with the help of her partner, quickly bundled Rustle
up and rushed him to the vets. On the fifteen minute drive into
town Rustle started to cramp and was becoming quite distressed.
When they arrived at the vets Rustle was quickly given an injection
that would calm his gut. Kylie left him at the vet hospital
so that the veterinary surgeons could investigate the problem.
I
rang the vets and was told that Rustle had been given more Baycox
and some stronger medicine that would remove any toxins in his
gut. I was told he was lethargic but comfortable and that I
would be contacted if there was any change. That evening Kylie
went back to the vets to collect him and take him home to her
place so that he could be watched. When I rang she told me that
he seemed much happier and was alert, taking in his new surroundings.
The
next morning, just before 7am my mobile phone rang and my heart
sank. Kylie told me that Rustle had a bad night, the stomach
cramps had returned and he had gone down hill again very quickly.
She had already contacted the vet and was going to meet him
at the hospital at 8am. She warned me that it didn't look good,
she had found him that morning standing up, the only way to
relieve the cramps, with his head on the ground and his ears
drooped on the floor.
I hung up the phone and knew things were very very bad and I
couldn't stop the tears from flowing. I felt so guilty for having
left him and I mentally beat myself up for having not been there
for him when he needed me most. In retrospect I know that there
is nothing I could have done. We had waited to see if he would
improve and were encouraged by his return of energy.
At
about 7.15am Kylie rang me to tell me that Rustle had died in
her arms. I'm fighting back the tears even now, months and months
later, as I edit this story. The only good part of this terrible
time for Rustle is that he died feeling safe and secure wrapped
in his blankets, wrapped in Kylies arms. If he had been at home
he would have died alone, and frightened.
Rustle's
body was taken to the vets and an autopsy was performed. Although
the conclusion wasn't 100% certain, it was thought that he more
than likely died from coccidiosis.
Looking
back at the whole story we guessed that Rustle had eaten a small
piece of the oleander, and being such a stressed animal anyway,
when his defenses were down and he was sick from the oleander
poisoning the coccidiosis parasite multiplied in the hundreds
which starved him of any nutrients and he died. Truly tragic.
Knowing that Rustle had probably died from coccidiosis it was
important that Google and Floss were medicated as soon as possible.
Jane, another carer, came down the following evening and dosed
both of them with Baycox so that they wouldn't also get ill.
Being
a stranger to Google and Floss, Jane had a bit of difficulty
medicating Google because she was quite big. Google was frightened
and she tried to kick Jane with her powerful hind legs. In the
end Jane wrapped Google in a blanket, her daughter held Google's
paws and her son held her legs and Jane quickly squirted the
medicine into her mouth. I was worried about this too as a stressful
event like that could have made Google sick, but there was no
other way, and she had to have the medicine.
Happily,
both Google and Floss weren't affected by the coccidiosis at
all. When I returned home I gave them a second dose and I also
gave some to Sassy, the Wallaroo. It isn't as common for a Wallaroo
to get coccidiosis, but it is still possible. Wallabies seem
to be resistant to the fatal disease. Thankfully, all the other
Macropods in my small mob remained happy and healthy.
Some
members of the wildlife organisation I am a part of were concerned
that the coccidiosis oocyst (eggs) were now on the ground and
may kill other Eastern Greys that come onto the property.
There
was gossip that my property was being quarantined and that made
me very angry. Without going too much into the detail of how
coccidiosis affects macropods, you can guarantee that if there
are macropods grazing on your land, then there is coccidiosis
oocyst on the ground.
And
all macropods are carriers of the coccidiosis parasite, however,
it takes particular weather conditions or a stressful event
when the animals immune system is weak, for the the fatal strain
of the parasite to flourish and take over the hosts gut. The
actual parasite does not kill the host, it's the resulting malnutrition
and dehydration that causes death.
We
bought our property from two wildlife carers who had been
raising joeys for well over ten years. Rustle was the first
coccidiosis death recorded on the property, and he was the
only kangaroo in my care that had been so violently ill, not
a result of my care, but due to his stressful history.
I felt abandoned by the wildlife group and the members who
I had worked so closely with over the years. And I felt victimised
for something that wasn't my fault. It wasn't a pleasant time
for me at all.
After
much heated discussion it was decided that Lilly, Rustle's
first kangaroo experience, would come to us for release, as
planned before Rustle's untimely death.
As Rustle had died in Kylie's home, and Lilly was in close
contact with him for a while, she was also given Baycox.
I
was confident that there would be no further complications,
and as it turned out - I was right!
Lilly
actually started her foster care with us some months previously.
A lady who had been told of my wildlife care rung me and asked
if I would take on two little Eastern Greys. Her son and nephew
had shot their respective mums and had brought the two babies
home as pets, but she knew that it was impossible to keep
them.
At
the time I had too many responsibilities, and although I wanted
to keep them both, I had to pass them on. It took a lot of
will power to pass Lilly on though as she was such a beautiful
little joey. I really wanted to care for her and watch her
grow.
What
makes Lilly so different from the other kangaroos I've seen
is her colouring. She is a very pale grey, nearly white, and
everything about her is long and slender. She has a long nose,
long legs, long tail and long ears, I think of her as a super-joey,
akin to a super-model!
When
I first received Lilly I named her "Ghost", but
that name was lost when she went to another carer, Linda.
Lilly was Linda's first joey and her daughter Jaime was eager
to name the baby, and Lilly it was! Linda kept Lilly for a
few weeks and then she was moved onto Kylie where she resided
for a few months.
Lilly's
integration with the Fourth Crossing Mob was very slow. She
was a bit of a "humaroo" and preferred our company
over Google and Floss' and the other macropods in care at
the time. She greeted the other roos with the normal nose
sniff hello, but then pretty much lost interest.
Todd
and I made a promise to each other that Lilly would be our
last Eastern Grey Kangaroo for at least a year. We had released
quite a few in the past, as had the previous owners of the
property. We wanted a couple of years to '"rest"
the area, as there are numerous wild kangaroos that also share
our home land.
However,
not long after Lilly came Skippy. Never in my wildest (or
most boring!) dreams did I ever imagine that I would come
across a kangaroo named Skippy - how unimaginative! Skip had
also been a pet which totalled four kangaroos (and one Swamp
Wallaby) that we have had in care which were previously pets.
I
guess this is a good time to state that I don't agree with
keeping most native animals as pets. Oh, I used to think it
was a great idea, better having a pet kangaroo or wombat than
a cat any day - sorry, don't like cats! But after so many
years of caring for these amazing creatures I have found that
it just isn't a suitable scenario for them.
Kangaroos
are 'mob' animals, and you could mistakenly think that this
would make them ideal pets.
However,
they stress at the drop of a hat, which in turn risks their
health.
Mammals
such as Brushtail Possums, wombats, wallabies and Wallaroos
are essentially solitary animals. Keeping them in a pet like
environment would only lead to stress and a very unhappy animal.
Not
to mention their aggressive natures. A
cute male kangaroo joey will grow to be a aggressive adult,
one that is an expert at boxing, and it is more than likely
YOU will end up the loser in any fight!
Anyway,
back to Skippy......
Skip had been in care for a few months by people who lived
on the opposite side of town from me, before they tried to
release her in the bush. They
had good intentions, but unfortunately they did it all wrong.
When
we received Skip she was only four kilograms, way too small
to be released. But her "owners", thinking they
were doing the right thing, took her quite a distance from
their house and left her there on her own.
For
a mob animal, and one that is so small, she would have stressed
enormously. At this size they are still in pouch or at their
mothers heals, and still suckling at the teat.
Skippy's
owners were surprised to find that she eventually made her
way home! It had taken a week, and she was skinny and hungry,
and not to mention lucky to be alive, but she was home. They
then decided to contact the wildlife organisation I volunteer
for and I collected her a few days later.
Skip
was a timid, shy little roo, no doubt from her ordeal. A few
days after she moved in with us she started to scour. I had
to curb my impulse to panic and shove Baycox down her throat
in case she had developed coccidiosis!
Baycox should never be used as a preventative to the coccidiosis
disease, only when the animal has further symptoms, or a faecal
float test shows coccidiosis oocysts.
Luckily for Skippy however she showed no signs of cocci: the
lethargy, the weakness and the abdominal cramps. I gave her
Protexin to calm her gut and then after two days with no real
improvement I gave her one dose of Tribrissen, an antibiotic.
Well, what ever little Skip had the antibiotic worked and
miraculously she passed firm pellets that evening.
Skippy
was such a pretty kangaroo, pale brown in colour with beautiful
long brown eyelashes. Quite humorously, for such a wee thing,
she started to show her dominance over the other kangaroos
and thought nothing of boxing Google, about two and a half
times her size!
Time
passed without too much of a hiccup, and the kangaroos grew
into healthy juveniles. When Skippy had put on a few extra
kilos the gate to the larger paddock was opened and their
enclosure opened increased to 5 acres.
More
and more time was spent away from the house yard, down by
the dam or in the cypress forest at the bottom of the paddock.
Although the kangaroos hung in a mob most of the time, they
often separated into two small groups: Google and Floss, and
Lilly and Skip.
All
too soon it was time to open the main gate and let the kangaroos
go free. For a few months the mob stayed close to the house,
preferring the security of "mum and dad" to the
big wide world.
Lilly
was still the most clingy of four. We encouraged her to be
a kangaroo and reside with the mob, and we could see that
she wanted to be part of the mob, but she wanted to be part
of "our mob" as well!
As Google and Floss drifted off, Lilly stayed closer to home,
and as a result Skippy was often close by as well.
Lilly
approached us on many occasions, looking for food and a scratch
under the chin, but Skip was more in the background. Lilly
and Skip had become quite tight, but it was evident Skippy
wanted to move away from us and in the end she
was the first to leave permanently.
For
quite a while beforehand, a big strapping male accompanied
the girls where ever they went. It was quite touching to see
the big lad protect the girls from other male kangaroos eager
to meet the new girls on the block.
Often
times the girls would be lazing under a tree, totally at ease,
while the male kept an alert presence over them. When disturbed
by noises he would stretch himself to his full height and
grunt a warning - an imposing and magnificent creature.
One
day "Big Lad" left and Skippy went with him, hopefully
to join another mob on nearby land. We haven't seen her since.
Some
time later I witnessed another male fervently sniffing around
Lilly, who was pretty much living a solitary life (except
for regular meetings with Google and Floss). Solitude for
and Eastern Grey is rare but not uncommon.
The
previous owners of our farm had raised and released another
female kangaroo called Doll - who prefers her own company
to a large mob.
Doll
is the matriarch of the mob of kangaroo's on our property.
Although she spends most time on her own, she regularly attends
"macropod meetings" and it is quite evident she
is the top dog.
The
injuries you see on Doll, the torn ear and ripped lip, were
sustained long after her release, in two separate incidences.
Her carers found it impossible to get near enough to treat
her, however as you can see Doll survived her injuries on
her own steam.
We
are constantly amazed at the survival instincts of Australian
animals, and we have witnessed other wild critters, mammals
and birds, with healed injuries. They can be "tonka tough"
and seem to be able to adapt quite well in the wild with injuries.
The capability of finding their own natural medicines (such
as stingy bark, charcoal and tea tree) in the wild is truly
astounding and inspiring.
Doll
is an ugly thing, but the boys like her! She in constantly
with joey, sometimes one in the pouch (as you can see in the
photo above) and one at heal.
Back
to Lilly......
Late
one day, watching from a short distance, I was fascinated
as the male clucked and groomed her, touching her with such
tenderness. Annoyingly, farm work called me away from the
courtship, but a few hours later Lilly appeared with what
looked like semen around her cloaca area.
I was to become a grandmother!!!
For
quite a time Google and Floss completely disappeared as well,
and it was to be months before they turned up again. Both
were well - and Google was quite evidently in season. Closely
following on her tail was one enormous male kangaroo, with
several others, smaller in size and lower down the kangaroo
hierarchy, all trying to get a look in. This bizarre act lasted
a few days.
One
night - we will never forget - we went to bed after watching
Google being chased by the four male kangaroos. We tried to
chase the three smaller ones away as we could see that the
biggest was also trying to protect her. Poor Google was incredibly
stressed by the ordeal and was furiously licking her forearms.
In the end we gave up realising that our efforts were in vain
- and after all, it was nature.
We
woke hours later to a spine tingling roar, just outside our
bedroom window, followed by several more kangaroo calls and
grunts. Rushing outside to our verandah we witnessed an incredible
scene. Under our parked trailer was Google, small enough to
find shelter in the space between ground and trailer, with
the large male beside the trailer still protecting her. We
watched as he lent under the trailer to nuzzle and groom Google,
an act that didn't seem to displease her, then turn around
and roar at the three other kangaroos trying to be part of
the action.
Google
seemed to be in good hands, and not wanting to make the situation
worse, we returned to bed. In the morning Google and Co. were
gone and it was to be another couple of months before she
and Floss returned. Google with a small bulge in her pouch
- a grandmother two times over!!
To
this day Lilly is still never far from home. As I have hopefully
demonstrated to you in this story, every animal has their
own character and temperament, and Lilly is the least shy
of any of the kangaroos that I have released on my property.
All
the macropods I have raised over the years have left home
- turned wild and gone back to bush.
As
for the macropods in this story: Maddy, the Swamp Wallaby,
left without a backward glance. Sassy the Wallaroo took quite
a while longer but finally left when she was ready.
After being gone for many months, Sassy recently returned
to the area and we have seen her at a distance with a young
joey in the pouch. Marshall the male Swamp Wallaby has gone
after some life threatening injuries sustained after release.
He
returned home with a deep puncture to his body and allowed
us to treat him, amazing seeing as though we had to treat
him with antibiotics administered via needles - he was My
Little Tin Soldier!
Google
and Floss appear periodically with assorted kangaroos in toe.
The last time we saw them was truly touching. For a couple
of days Floss had been hanging around with another female,
who we suspected was one of Dolls now independent joeys. Google
was no where to be seen, which troubled us as the girls rarely
are seen without the other.
Driving
up the driveway one morning we saw Google on her own and quite
stressed, evident by her saturated arms on a not-very-hot
day. Floss had been seen earlier in the morning in the opposite
paddock. I turned off the engine and Todd approached Google
slowly, murmuring to her that everything was all right.
Suddenly
we heard a very loud kangaroo call and through the long grass
came Floss. We stood back and watched the two approach each
other through the fence, sniffing each others noses and clucking
softly. As the fence still separated the two lost friends
we herded Google around to Floss' side and our hearts turned
to mush as Floss gently caressed Google. The other kangaroo
forgotten, the two friends hopped off into the bush - together
again at last!
..
