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!
..
