Kangaroos – We don’t ride them to school

Despite what most of the world seems to think, kangaroos are not in fact, a part of our daily ride to school, nor do we see them jumping down the average suburban street. Most people we have met overseas seem to have an image of Australia as being entirely desert like. Which we will admit, is true for a large portion of this great nation, but the majority of the population lives in coastal metropolises not unlike the average capital city of most Western countries.

The only time a Sydney dweller is likely to see a kangaroo is in Taronga Zoo, or dead on the side of one of the many roads heading out West. Anyone who has ever driven down to our nation’s capital, will have in all likelihood, seen a gruesome example of what Australians like to call road kill.

In all seriousness, kangaroos jumping across highways are a serious concern. When you are travelling at 100km/h, a run in with a full grown kangaroo will see your car written off and you potentially in the hospital. You also don’t want to irritate a kangaroo as the cartoon image of them boxing is more realistic than you might have thought.

Having said all this, kangaroos are beautiful creatures, an icon of Australia, and truly a majestic sight to see when they are jumping around the countryside.

Trivia fact: the kangaroo, along with the emu, are on the Australian coat of arms. Reason? They are the only two Australian animals that can’t walk backwards. Talk about your metaphors.

Photo by Scott Calleja