Kangaroos
Introduction
Male Eastern Grey Kangaroo
The kangaroo: an Aussie icon
The kangaroo is an Australian icon. Its size, strength and speed are traits that make it a natural logo or emblem for Australian organisations and sporting clubs. It is also part of our national coat of arms.
Kangaroos are also symbolic of another Australian trait: to stick up for yourself and not back down (with their large back feet and tail, kangaroos find it hard to move backwards). However, unlike their human counterparts, adult males fight their rivals to gain higher status within a local group or "mob" and the dominant male will father the next generation of joeys.
But many people see large male kangaroos as placid grazing animals. The reality is that they can be aggressive towards people. Although the risk of this happening is very small, we still need to be wary around them.
Kangaroos on the suburban fringe: a new relationship?
Watching a mother kangaroo feeding while its joey fumbles around in her pouch is a special experience. When wild animals seem this placid and caring, it can be tempting to get close to them, touch them and even feed them. With regular feeding, a kangaroo learns to approach people for food. Even without feeding, kangaroos readily accept our presence if we show no aggression towards them. But, if we get too close, they may see us as a threat.
Kangaroos that are used to being fed can approach people expecting food. When there is no food, they may become aggressive.
Today, people rarely live in close contact with large wildlife. As a result, we have lost much of our wariness and first-hand knowledge of these animals and how they live.
This means we can get too close to kangaroos without thinking about the consequences. For kangaroos living on the bushland fringe of a suburban area, a human may be seen as little more than a large animal living in its habitat - and one that they may occasionally need to defend themselves against.
Sometimes kangaroos are illegally raised in captivity and kept as pets. While they may have been easy to keep when they were joeys, fully-grown kangaroos require more space. They may be abandoned in the bush without learning to be wild animals again - but still actively, and aggressively, seek out humans with food.
Kangaroos are protected wildlife and a permit is needed to raise a joey in captivity. An important part of raising a joey is to ensure that it is capable of caring for itself in the wild without human assistance when it is released.
Understanding kangaroos:
Looking eye to eye at an eastern grey kangaroo
The eastern grey kangaroo readily adapts to altered landscapes that still provide shelter, water and grass to eat. Golf courses, outer suburban parks, rural residential areas and farmland can all provide habitat for eastern grey kangaroos.
Without fear of being hunted or disturbed, eastern grey kangaroos have had little inclination to move out of their traditional habitats and territories. They now tolerate our presence and we tolerate their's, often enjoying the sight of one of our largest native animals at close quarters.
When it comes to looking eye-to-eye at such a large marsupial, it is important to understand how it can behave. Watching kangaroos can teach you a lot about their individual behaviour and how they act within a group.
Understanding the mob mentality
Eastern grey kangaroos are social animals living in groups called mobs. Each mob has a number of breeding females and their young, and several adult males. Only one dominant male will breed with all the females. This male defends its breeding rights by fighting other males. The other adult males in the mob may also "spar" with each other to establish their own position in the dominance hierarchy.
The dominant male watches over the females to see if they are ready to mate, and will sometimes follow one for days. Other males will also hang around the females and the dominant male will warn off these rivals if they get too close.
People who get too close to a dominant male when it is pursuing a female or mating could also be seen as a threat.
Eastern grey kangaroos can breed throughout the year. This means that a dominant male will always be watching the females in his mob - and also keeping an eye on other males that may try to mate with these females or challenge his dominance.
Showing them who's boss
A dominant male kangaroo shows other males who's boss in a number of ways. Some behaviours it may display are:
- Walking slowly on all fours with its back arched to intimidate other males
- Rubbing its chest from side to side on the ground
- Grabbing onto grass tussocks and low shrubs with its forelimbs and rubbing its chest over them
- Standing erect by propping itself up on its tail and hindfeet, and urinating
- Fighting and sparring
If you see a kangaroo behaving like this, move away.
Sub-dominant males will acknowledge the dominant male's status by giving a short cough. If there is no cough-response, a fight may result.
Female Eastern Grey kangaroo
and juvenile
Protecting their young
Females with joeys that are old enough to be out of the pouch can also become aggressive if they feel that the presence of a person is a possible threat to their young.
Individual behaviours
Wild animals should never be seen as having set patterns of behaviour that they follow blindly. Individual animals have their own "personalities" and learn in response to their experiences. If a kangaroo has been raised in captivity and released into the wild it may approach you demanding food by scratching and biting. It may even see you as another animal and start to kick and scratch as a form of "play fighting" or to assert its dominance.
Kangaroos that are injured or sick can also become defensive if approached and may be dangerous. In these situations, a trained wildlife rehabilitator should be contacted rather than approaching the animal yourself.
Living with kangaroos
It is also important to know how you should behave around kangaroos. The following information can help to make living near kangaroos a safer and fascinating experience.
Enjoy your kangaroos - but from a distance. If you enter an area where kangaroos live, give them as much space as possible. If you see one, stay away from it and watch how it behaves. If it moves toward you, or shows signs of being aggressive, move away (even if it is only looking for food or human contact, a kangaroo may still become aggressive). Don't act aggressively towards the kangaroo, as this will simply reinforce the idea that you are a threat.
Dangerous situations may also arise where kangaroos move into backyards or on to private property to feed. These can be avoided by fencing and removing sources of food or water that are attracting kangaroos.
Get to know your local mob. By watching the kangaroos that live near you, you can learn to identify individuals by their appearance (e.g. size, sex, notches on their ears) and even give them names. You will also start to work out the relationships between individual kangaroos (e.g. who the dominant male is) and be able to follow the birth and growth of each new generation of joeys.
To feed or not to feed. The simple answer here is: don't feed. Feeding brings kangaroos into close contact with people, creating potentially dangerous situations. Exposing them to an artificial diet may also cause health problems and create unnatural concentrations of kangaroos.
During prolonged dry periods some supplementary feeding and the provision of water could be considered if the kangaroos are unable to disperse to find new feeding areas. In this situation, food can be provided without any form of human contact and be done in a way that does not create any long-term dependence on an artificial food source.
And if a kangaroo becomes aggressive€¦
If you are approached by an aggressive kangaroo you should keep it at a safe distance so that it can't kick or scratch. For example, hold up a stick or branch, or stay behind a fence or a tree. Move away from the animal as quickly as you can. Turning your back on it and running could be dangerous as a large male can easily outrun you and still kick at the same time. Turn side-on and protect the front of your body with your arms and keep your head as far away from the kangaroo as possible to minimise the risk of being scratched on the face.
If it is a large male that has been displaying dominance behaviour, it may see you as a threat. Protect yourself and let the kangaroo know you are not a threat by giving a short, deep cough, avoiding eye contact and crouching down as you move away.
Females and smaller male kangaroos are less likely to be aggressive but may approach if they are used to being fed or have had a lot of human contact. Even though females are much smaller than males, they can scratch and kick and could pose a safety risk - particularly to small children.
As a last resort, if you can't escape an attacking kangaroo, roll up into a ball on the ground with your arm covering your neck and call for help. Try to roll or crawl away to a safe place.
Think about the kids
Ensure that children know what to do around kangaroos. Adults should have children act out what they would do if a kangaroo attacked them and ensure that they avoid areas where kangaroos are found.
A healthy respect
Eastern grey kangaroos are one of Australia's largest marsupials and one of its most beautiful. Its deer-like face, graceful movements and social nature make it a wild animal that can be watched for hours. Its size and strength are also key parts of its character and warrant showing kangaroos a healthy respect.
The solution to living with kangaroos is to have a relationship of mutual wariness and be ready to act if any potentially dangerous situations arise.
To lose the experience of being able to see this Australian wildlife icon simply from not understanding how they live, and how we should live with them, would be a tragedy.
Further information
If you are having problems with an aggressive kangaroo, contact your nearest Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service office or phone the department hotline on 1300 130 372 (in south-east Queensland only).
See also Kangaroo harvesting
Information sources
Aldenhoven, J., and Carruthers, G. (1992). Kangaroos-Faces in the mob. (documentary film) Green Cape Wildlife Films.
Poole. W.E. (2002). Eastern grey kangaroo, in Strahan, R. (ed.). The Mammals of Australia. Australian Museum/Reed New Holland, Chatswood NSW.
Last updated: 22 May 2007