When our Southern friend, Deb, visited us in northern Wisconsin and saw a whitetail deer for the first time, she screamed, “Stop the car! I want to take a photo!” Really? It’s just a deer for heaven’s sake. Deer that I fed through the chicken wire fence at Prentice Park when I was a kid. Deer that eat my hastas (beautiful leafy plants) and anything else I care to plant at the cabin. Deer whose frequent and erratic presence warrants yellow diamond warning signs every mile along the roadsides. Deer that lounged daily in the backyard of our Minnesota house near the heart of the city without being phased by the presence of people. Deer that almost everyone I know has hit with their car (we’ve hit two ourselves). That is the animal that merits a stop for a photo? Whatever….
So now we are in Australia where we see a kangaroo for the first time! “Stop the car! We need to take a photo!” I imagine the smirk of the passing Aussies. But these animals are amazing! They are so different from any other animal we’ve seen. Sure, we’ve all seen them in a zoo, but here they are in the wild – in the bush! – in their natural environment. Their meaty hind quarters dominate their slender upper body and slim head. With rabbit-like (or deer-like, if you will) ears they look inquisitively in our direction, then return to their grazing. After a few minutes their graceful, effortless jumps propel their pear-shaped bodies across the field to the safety of the woods. Our first siting – how exciting!
We pull up to the first campsite on our two week RV trip from Sydney to Melbourne. On the clearing we carefully watch every step to steer clear of the copious amounts of dark animal droppings. Could this be from our beloved roos? Wouldn’t it be great to see them again? Near sundown, our hopes are rewarded as we peer into the woods at several kangaroos munching on the tall grass. The next night, the roos boldly come onto our clearing. We’re in awe. We watch as their thick, muscular tail acts as a fifth leg as they meander on the lawn. Front paws lead, tail moves forward between sturdy back legs which follow the tail. Their strange walk fascinates us.
At the next campsite, roos are everywhere. Leisurely lounging in the campground like they own the place. Now we are noticing the high frequency of dead roos along the roads as we drive along the Aussie highways. Roos seem to be everywhere.
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| They're everywhere! |
Another campsite….the roo poop is so thick we need to get out plastic bags to pick it all up before we set up camp. Now we’re turning up our noses a bit.
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| Yes, roo poo.. |
