How to do a pouch check
You could save a life
All too often in Australia, come across a kangaroo that has been hit by a vehicle and is lying on the road. Please check if it is a female as there may be a baby kangaroo (joey) alive in her pouch. You could save that life:
First - take care of your safety and park somewhere safe.
Approach the kangaroo and if you don’t see a pair of balls in front of the cloaca, it will have a pouch – this is located on the lower stomach.
Carefully open the pouch. If there is a baby kangaroo inside, cup your hands under the baby (if they are not attached to a teat) and place the baby into a ‘pouch’ – this could be your shirt, a cotton bag, etc. Hold the baby close to you for warmth and the sense of security of hearing your heartbeat.
If the baby is attached to a teat, please don’t pull it off the teat as you can cause damage to the joey’s jaw. Instead cut the teat (it is long) and then take care that the baby can’t swallow the teat. Keep the baby warm and as close to your heart as possible wrapped up in your shirt, or a soft hat, cotton bag etc.
Drag the dead kangaroo by the tail as far off the road as you can. This will ensure that other wildlife such as wedge tailed eagles (who will feed on the dead kangaroo) will not be hit and killed by passing vehicles. By dragging the kangaroo off the road, you are preventing other wildlife from being killed.
Take the baby kangaroo to the nearest vet or ask locals how to contact the closest wildlife carers group (or google for information). All zoos and wildlife parks can be contacted for advice on what to do.
Please do not feed the baby unless you are very remote. In this situation phone the closest vet or wildlife carers group to ask what to do until you get the baby kangaroo to a vet or trained wildlife carer. In that situation, you can cup some WATER into your hands to see if the baby kangaroo would like to lap.
If you don’t have time to stop, please, please call one of your state’s wildlife groups (google it or look for the phone numbers on the signs along the side of the road) and let them know where the kangaroo is, so they can send someone out to check the pouch. It’s very helpful if you have confirmed if it is injured vs. dead and male vs. female.
If the animal has spray paint on it, that means a wildlife carer or another kind soul has checked it already.
Theresa Matthews
At Our Haven Wildlife Shelter, we do our best to physically look after as many kangaroos as we possibly can, it’s exhausting and financially overwhelming - but this is our calling.
