Did you know that kangaroos can really swim very well?
There has been some discussion through some of the wildlife care networks about swimming kangaroos. Everyone has heard the story about how a kangaroo when chased by a dog will enter a dam and then hold the dog under until it drowns. There are several anecdotal versions to this story, and I’ve no doubt it has happened, probably many times.
But kangaroos and wallabies will also swim in the oceans, as the following reports reveal.
One wildlife carer group have been advised by Victoria Parks that kangaroos and wallabies will swim from an island off Wilson’s Prom to the mainland on a regular basis and until recently, there were a couple of wallabies living on a small island in Lake Wendouree who regularly swam ashore, had a nibble of everyone’s gardens and swam back to their island. There are other reports of wallabies and kangaroos swimming from point a to point b in quite a few areas.
One Victorian carer has photo's of one swimming across the river up near Tocumwal. Another person on the Gold Coast in Queensland reports that Golden Swamp Wallabies regularly swim from South Stradbroke Island to the mainland. Wallabies also regularly swim between Deal and Erith Island in Bass Strait. That’s not a swim for the faint hearted - winds and tides are pretty strong between the islands.
Another carer saw a badly wounded kangaroo with an infected wound at the edge of a dam packing the wound with mud and recently they had to rescue one in a river nearby which turned out to have a bad leg break. This particular kangaroo was standing on a rock in the middle of a deep river. No doubt he couldn’t swim with a broken leg. Interesting rescue but as it turned out, they had him out in 10 minutes from arriving on scene. Took a few kayaks and one tinny but they did it.
Another report indicates that maybe kangaroos and wallabies also do it to help heal scratches or irritations, as one carer has used salty water to clean some wounds on animals or maybe salts and minerals possibly lacking in their diet. Or maybe they just like to go for a bit of a swim like us sometimes. In floods, kangaroos can get swept away and drowned. There is a report of one being found swimming offshore, and rescued by a fishing trawler.
Another remembers one kangaroo she had years ago who used to hang over a bucket and soak her arms in it to keep cool during the really hot days. This particular one used to come home (she lived in the bush) and lie down in the herb garden, then pull the herbs over her head to keep the flys away! Smart kangaroo!
This particular roo also used to use her as a babysitter when she was off flirting (the kangaroo, not the carer!) with the local roos as well. She parked the young ones in the garden and took off and left them - they never moved and stayed there until she came back for them. The carer couldn't (wouldn't) go near them though, as they were wild babies - they just sat very still quietly waiting where she left them . She did that with 2 of her joeys over a period of time. Amazing how the kangaroos know when somewhere is safe!
However it's not all good news on the swimming front. One group of carers have rescued two wallabies from swimming pools in their local area, and in both cases the joey in the pouch had drowned. Some research suggests that kangaroos can draw the mouth of the pouch up tightly when swimming, so the joey can’t drown. However, when stuck in a swimming pool, they probably can’t do that for any length of time.
Kangaroos swim by moving their legs independently of each other......something that they can’t do on land!
Meanwhile I’ve seen a grey kangaroo body surfing, I watched it through binoculars as it swam down the beach in light surf for 1/2 mile or so before getting out and returning to the scrub. I assumed it may have had ticks, or was just hot. In Tasmania, where the water is very cold, wallabies are reputed to wear wet suits when body surfing! ;o)
I’ve also seen several times kangaroos swim across mangrove creeks, even at low tide. They are so light that they don’t sink into the mud very far, then when they reach the water, they just swim the rest of the way. This was on Rosewood Island in Central Qld, with a fairly high crocodile population. Once I saw one swim to the Mainland at low tide, about 1/2 a mile away.
If you are interested in wildlife caring, and in reading more information about kangaroos and other wildlife, you can subscribe to the Ozark information Network at www.ozark.wild.net.au * WPAA NOTE! We have no idea who took these superb photos but we understand they were taken in WA. If the photographer contacts us we are happy to give him/her credit!
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