Don’t be fooled by “Skippy the bush kangaroo”
Australian Kangaroos are quiet grazing marsupials, but they can still hurt a human being if frightened or angered.
Their natural fighting defence is to claw at you with their front paws and to kick with their strong hind legs. I have heard it said the rear claws could rip a man’s stomach right open.
Australian Kangaroos are not pets, they are still wild animals and can be unpredictable and dangerous.
Large Australian kangaroos, such as a Grey or a Red ‘roo can do immense harm if you hit them with your automobile and have the animal crash through your windscreen. They are bit of a problem like deer can be in the United States, and that is why so many country folk here have bull bars (also called “roo bars” here in Australia) on the front of their vehicles.
Marsupials are animals, unique to Australia, with a pouch where the tiny immature baby crawls inside after its birth and attaches itself to a teat to suckle. At birth a baby marsupial — kangaroos included — is about as large as a peanut.
As the tiny animal gets larger and its eyes open, it starts to venture out of the pouch and learns to find its own food. But young marsupials, always called ‘Joeys’, will try to get back into their mothers’ pouches for safety.
Many years ago, before such entertainment was banned for cruelty to animals, circuses and travelling troupes of boxers would place an Australian kangaroo into a boxing ring to entertain the public. They would force the animal to ‘box’ with people who wanted to have a go ‘boxing’ the kangaroo. The show’s owners were careful to put big padded gloves on the animal so its claws would not rip the man who tried to ‘box’ with the creature.
The ‘roo was being hurt and was being punched by the man in the ring, so it would try to scratch him — the natural defense of all Australian kangaroos . But the boxing gloves on its paws would prevent the defense from working, and the crowd would laugh at the spectacle because they thought the kangaroo was boxing.
Years later, during the Americas Cup yacht race, someone hoisted a green flag with a boxing kangaroo up the mast of the boat. The flag became a smash hit with Australians, and is often waved defiantly during sporting events to symbolize the Australian fighting spirit.
So please remember, Australian kangaroos are not cuddly pets. The ones you will see in an animal park or a zoo have become used to humans and might let you feed them, but they are still wild animals. Skippy the bush kangaroo, I am sorry to tell you, was a fraud.
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