Feed A Kangaroo
Ticked off in March 2008
Hold out a handful of pellets and feel a soft muzzle nudge your palm, while a joey peers out of the pouch.
The adventure
Arrive at a beach on the New South Wales south coast just after dawn and you'll often find you're not the first one there. Eastern grey kangaroos graze the grass above the sand, ears swivelling, a few lazing in the morning sun, and the odd one hopping right down to the water's edge.
At a good wildlife sanctuary you can get closer still. Kangaroos lope over with that strange, springy gait, rest back on their thick tails and take food from your flat hand with surprisingly gentle lips. A mother might lean in with a joey's head and legs sticking out of her pouch at awkward angles. Out in the bush at dusk, watch a mob of reds take off across the plain, covering metres with each bound, and you'll see why they're on the coat of arms.
Don't be fooled by how gentle they are at feeding time. Big males settle arguments by boxing with their front paws and kicking out with their huge back legs.
Why it’s epic
- Red kangaroos are the largest living marsupials, and big males can cover around 8 metres in a single bound.
- Kangaroos on the beach at Pebbly Beach in New South Wales and Lucky Bay in Western Australia.
- Kangaroo Island has its own darker, shaggier subspecies of western grey kangaroo.
- Newborn joeys are about the size of a jellybean and crawl into the pouch on their own.
What it is
Kangaroos are found across Australia and are often seen at dawn and dusk.
How to do it
See them in the wild at places such as Pebbly Beach or Kangaroo Island, or feed them at wildlife parks.
Top tip
Watch out for kangaroos on the roads at dusk.
Need to know
- Only feed kangaroos at sanctuaries that provide the right food; bread and human snacks make wild ones ill.
- Dawn and dusk are best for wild sightings, which is also when they're most likely to be on the roads.
- British visitors need an eVisitor or ETA before travelling to Australia.
Do it yourself
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My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
Over to you
Is “Feed A Kangaroo” on your bucket list, or have you already done it? Tell me in the comments, and if you've got a question about it, ask away and I'll answer.