The Birth Of A Baby Roo
Tiny Miracles!
The birth of a kangaroo is the most miraculous thing I have ever witnessed.
Indie was orphaned when her mother was killed by a motorist when she was almost 6 months old, still a little pinkie no bigger than your hand. She had been thrown from her pouch and lay in the middle of the road just a few km north of our farm. Thankfully she was found by a local wildlife rescuer and after a few months of care by a dear friend of mine, she came to Red Rabbit Farm at 9 months old to buddy up with a little boy of the same age (Max) I had in care.
Even when she was very young, Indie was a nurturer. She insisted that Max be her friend from the moment they met, and Max became quite spoiled by her constant love, attention and grooming.
Fast forward a year later and at 21 months old, Indie was ready to have her first baby. (No, Max was not the father, that honour went to the Alpha Leo, a wild roo who visits regularly and had taken a fancy to her.
Even though she had gone off with Leo and his mob just a few days after consummation (the 31st of January 2023), the mob brought her back 25 days later so that she could have her baby where she felt safe: her mumma’s veranda.
The morning of March 8, 2023 at 8:30am, she started vigorously cleaning out her pouch (aka the nursery) and then started visibly having contractions around 9am. Before that day, I had no idea that kangaroos experience contractions before giving birth! She would be lying down and then roll around with her fingers splayed out communicating she was in pain, then get up, fuss about and then hunch over while it passed. The contractions would stop, and she would plop down and rest for a bit until the next one rolled in.
Just after 9:30am, she got up and walked around my chair to be next to me. Her water broke and within a minute her tiny embryo of a baby, no bigger than a jellybean, journeyed out of her cloaca and pulled itself up with its teeny-tiny arms, along the wet path she had licked, through her fur to the opening of her pouch.
The journey of roughly 300mm (12 inches) for this blind little pink creature with its itty-bitty arms and hands took about three and a half minutes. She kept close track of its progress and even after it had disappeared into the opening, she nudged it along (for another few minutes) licking the outside of her pouch, following it down until it reached its destination where it fused to one of her four teats. She let me slip a tiny camera into her pouch after 2 months for a little peek at her baby.
Charlie was named not knowing if it was a boy or girl yet. Meanwhile in September (just a little more than 6 months since birth) little Charlie started poking his head out of her pouch, eyes finally open, curious about the outside world.
In month 7, Charlie, with his very short fur, Charlie started getting out and back into her pouch. This is a very important thing to practice and I was over the moon that she let him practice in front of me. It wasn’t until this moment, with a very unceremonious topple (Grandma’s floors are slippery compared to the grass!), that we learned that Charlie was a BOY!
The affection between kangaroos is so beautiful to watch. I think that because they stand and hug the same way people do, is why their love stands out from all of the other wild animals at our property. Watching Indie and Charlie hugging and snuggling with each other has always been an absolute delight that warms my heart.
As Charlie continued to grow, hugs evolved into playtime and then boxing. Because I’ve been raising orphans, we have a big teddy that hangs on a bungee chord from a tree. Indie and Max both learned to box with Big Teddy (it’s important as wildlife carers that we teach them to not box with humans).
Darcy is about 6 months older than Charlie; he came into our care right around the time that Charlie first started poking his head out of Indie’s pouch. Seeing Darcy (on the left) motioning to Charlie the concept of grabbing Big Teddy is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.
Indie eventually steps in, to remind Darcy she is in charge.
Worth noting, shortly after taking this video, he first meter of the rope closest to the teddy was stiffened so that it couldn’t loop around anyone’s arm and cause injury after hearing of this accident happening to someone else.
At the end of month 10, Charlie was too big for Indie’s pouch anymore. I just happened to be out walking with them in the bush when something startled him and he jumped in. As you can see, he was way too big and heavy for her now.
This was the last time he was allowed in her pouch, as the very next day, she came home, stood next to me on Christmas morning, and gave birth again.
Over the course of the next five months, Charlie started to test his independence and eventually started running off with friends in the mob his own age for a bit of playtime, but always coming back to his mum within 30 minutes or so. He continued suckling from one of her teats multiple times throughout the day (and no doubt the night too).
Their bond is unwavering. They play, cuddle, kiss and love. I am so honoured and privileged to be a part of their life.
Kelly Ryner
Kelly Ryner is a Wildlife Conservation Artist living on property outside of Cobargo Village NSW, she is a Licensed Macropod Carer and a Patron of Our Haven Wildlife Shelter. All proceeds from her Art and Books are used to care for wildlife, a bit for the expenses she incurs looking after her own, while the rest is donated to a selected few small Wildlife Shelters & Sanctuaries including ours.
