The Kangaroo

An unusual Australian

"To compare it to any European animal would be impossible as it has not the least resemblance of any one I have seen." Sir Joseph Banks

Due to the behavioural similarities it shares with the Australian character, the Kangaroo is held up as the quintessential icon of Australia. Like Australians, the Kangaroo is an individualistic social animal. Although it congregates in groups, unlike a sheep or cow, the Kangaroo is not a herd animal. If a mob of roos is attacked, individuals run in different directions.

These individualistic traits make roos a difficult animal to farm as they wont follow in single file to an abattoir. Nor will they obey a sheep dog's instructions to move to a new paddock.

As well as making life difficult for farmers, the individualistic behaviour it difficult for predators to herd roos into a trap where they can be picked off. If a lone roo is chased by an animal such as a dog, the roo will try to jump into a body of water. If the dog follows, the Kangaroo will turn to face its assailant and then use it paws to to grab a dog's head, and drown it.

When Kangaroos aren't escaping predators, they lead a peaceful life. They are particularly adaptable creatures that can withstand tough conditions. In times of draught, they cope by digging 'wells' up to three or four feet deep. These wells may also become a water source for other animals in the area.

Roos live quite harmoniously with the land. Unlike sheep and cows, the Kangaroo doesn't eat grass to its roots, thereby ensuring it can survive to sustain it another day. This feeding trait, combined with its padded feet, make the Kangaroo a very environmentally friendly animal to farm. Unfortunately, their ability to jump fences make it very easy for them to escape enclosures.

This jumping ability also makes them difficult for farmers to keep them out of pasture reserved for cows and sheep. To protect their livelihood, farmers have no choice but to shoot raiding parties of roos. If not killed instantly, the behaviour of a wounded roo is particularly distressing. Rather than wait patiently to die, they pull themselves forward with their arms - never giving up until they are dead.

It is understandable that Kangaroos are so keen to survive when one considers that at any one time they may have three children depending upon them. Its children may include:

Considering that the Kangaroo has such unique characteristics, it is fitting that the story of how it got its name is also uniquely Australian. When some of the first whitefellas saw this unusual animal hopping about they asked the Aborigines what it was called. The Aborigines replied 'kanguru', which in their language meant "I don't know". Sometime later, the whitefellas discovered what kangaru really meant and then concluded that the Aborigines must have misunderstood the question asked of them. Of course, it is just as probable that the Aborigines understood the question but thought it would be a funny joke if the ignorant Europeans walked about saying "I don't know". *

* A similar communication breakdown/joke led to the naming of Melbourne's moomba festival. Aborigines told organisers that moomba means: "lets get together and have fun." In reality, it means "bum."

Species of roo

There are 47 different varieties of Kangaroo. The largest six are referred to as roos while the rest are called Wallabies. The largest is the Red Kangaroo at a height of 1.8m and a weight of 90kg. It can clear nine meters in a single jump, has been known to jump over a nine foot high fence and has a top speed of 74 kilometres an hour. The smallest is the Monjon which grows to 35cm and weighs 1.4kg. One species, the Purple-neck Rock Wallaby [Petrogale Purpureicollis] secretes a dye that transforms its face and neck into colours ranging from light pink to bright purple.

Icon

1) Boxing Kangaroo Flag - The Boxing Kangaroo Flag is the unofficial flag of Australian sport. The flag was created in 1983 when Alan Bond's yacht Australia II ended the Americans 132 year dominance of the America's cup.

2) The Kangaroo appears along with the Emu on the Coat of Arms. It is said that these animals were used as they can not walk backwards, thereby reflecting the great Australian trait to leave baggage in the past and look forward to the future.

3) The Red Kangaroo is part of the Qantas logo, Australia's national airline.

3) Many sporting teams also associate themselves with the Kangaroo. The national Rugby League team is the Kangaroos, the national soccer team is the Socceroos, the basketball team is the Boomers and a AFL team that hops between Canberra and Melbourne is known as the Kangaroos.

4)Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was a television series in the tradition of Lassie, only much better. Australians are sometimes called skips, or skippies for this reason.

5) The Kangaroo appears of the 1990 and 1998 Gold Bullion Proof Coins, 1995 Skippy Silver 1oz Coin and the 1996 Skippy Silver 1oz Coin.

6) Different Aboriginal tribes have different legends regarding the Kangaroo. Some see the Kangaroo as a reincarnation of their ancestors. In the Murrumbidgee distinct, one tribe has a legend of huge Kangaroos that attacked people. By gaining fire, the tribe was able to get the Kangaroos under control.

Industry

1) Meat and leather - Bushmen and Aborigines aside, few Australians have eaten Kangaroos. One reason is that for the first 150 years of Australia's modern history, it was difficult to gain a constant supply of roo meat. Unlike sheep and cows, roos jump fences and won't herd nicely to an abattoir.

The only roos that could be supplied were those from hunted in the wild but such is Australia's hot climate and tyranny of distance, the meat would spoil by the time it reached the market.

In contemporary times, a massive explosion in roo numbers combined with the invention of refrigerated transport now allows professional hunters to keep the cities in constant supply. However because there is so much affection towards them, few Australians want to eat them. Consequently, most of the meat is turned into dog food and the leather sold to make car seats or football boots.

From an environmental perspective, it would be superior if roos replaced European animals on the dinner table. Cows, pigs and sheep are terribly destructive to Australia's thin layer of top soil. Their hooves destroy root networks, degrade river banks while they eat grass down to their very roots. On the other hand, the roo has padded feet and leaves enough of the grass to ensure it survives tough conditions. 

2) Culling - Irrespective of whether they are eaten or not, roos need to be culled as changes to the Australian environment since colonisation have caused their numbers to skyrocket. Prior to 1788, droughts would decimate population numbers. But now that farmers have built dams, roos have access to permanent water supplies. Furthermore, with few Aborigines living a nomadic existence, the Australian ecosystem lacks a predator that can hunt large roos.

Unlike the shooters who shoot roos for meat or skin, those shooters who are paid to cull don't need to care about ensuring a head shot. Furthermore, there is no guarantee the Kangaroo will have a quick death. It may just be left to die slowly.

For those who are concerned for roo welfare, the behaviour of a wounded kangaroo is particularly distressing. Rather than wait patiently to die, they pull themselves forward with their arms, never giving up until they are dead. Meanwhile, the culling party drives away, shooting as many roos as they can.

 

More info

The NSW Wildlife Information and Rescue Service (WIRES)

Media information on the roo industry

Conservation links