Kangaroo Questions
Questions that visitors regularly ask our Rangers.
How many kangaroos and wallabies are roaming free at Walkabout Park?
Approximately 20 Eastern Grey Kangaroos, 20 Swamp Wallabies, 20 Tamar Wallabies, 35 Red-Necked Pademelons, 16 Parma Wallabies, 40 Rufous Bettongs. We have lots of very special creatures, such as Zoe the Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Tegan the Wallaroo, who make an unusual couple as they hang out together in the underbrush.
Why are some kangaroos and wallabies kept in enclosures?
Most of our kangaroos and wallabies are free-ranging. However, there are some that, from time to time, need special care.
Parma wallabies are an endangered species. We have found that many of the juveniles, newly emerged from the pouch, don’t make it to adulthood. At this critical stage, we keep them in an enclosure with their mums so that we can keep them safe from predators. Once they are older and wiser and more able to stay out of trouble, they will free-range through the 80 acres.
Other animals may need intermittent extra care, e.g. if they have been ill or have sustained an injury. At this time we might keep them in an enclosure so that we can observe them, give them medical treatment, and track their progress.
When a kangaroo or wallaby first arrives at Walkabout Park, we need to train it to be able to survive in the 80 acres. Before we release the animal into the sanctuary, we make sure that it can recognise local native natural foods. We also train it to repsond to the noise when we shake a bucket of roo pellets. That way we know, once it is released, that it will know to come to the morning and afternoon supplementary feeding places if they need extra nourishment.
Are wild snakes a threat to the kangaroos and wallabies at Walkabout Park?
Except for large pythons that may prey on small wallabies, kangaroos are not a natural food source for most snakes. With these large-snake-small-roo exceptions, snakes do not hunt kangaroos or wallabies – they prefer smaller prey. However, occasionally a kangaroo might come across a snake by accident and the snake, afraid that the kangaroo will injure it, (or, in fact, injured by a kangaroot that might lie or jump on it) might bite to defend itself.
We have noted at Walkabout Park that most kangaroos bitten by snakes are hand-raised kangaroos. We have seen a disproportionately larger number of hand-raised kangaroos bitten, relative to wild raised kangaroos. It seems that wild raised kangaroo joeys must learn something from their mums about staying away from snakes. Human carers haven’t worked out what this is, so hand-raised released kangaroos are at greater risk of snake bite.
Video: Snake trying to eat a pademelon (small wallaby), but the wallaby is just too big.
Warning: Nature is brutal. This video is confronting. Don’t watch it if it will upset you.
Are nocturnal guided tours available?
Our night time ranger-led tours take you into the after dark world of the Rufous Bettong, Long-nosed Bandicoot, Brushtail and Ringtail Possum, Sugar Glider, Common Wombat, Tawny Frogmouth and Boobook Owl as well as the Eastern Grey Kangaroo and various wallaby species.
You can choose whether to just do the tour and then head home, or to stay overnight for a Wild Sleep Out. Sitting out under the southern skies, under the Milky Way and the brightest stars, is a magnificent way to end the evening. Visitors are always astonished by the amazing number of stars that can be seen from the Park’s exposed sandstone outcrops, far away from the glare of the city lights.
Does Walkabout Park have to feed the free-ranging kangaroos and wallabies?
There is enough food in our sanctuary for the animals to feed on as they would in the wild. The animals at Walkabout Park have 80 acres of natural food and the numbers of animals in the sanctuary are managed at a level where the ecosystem is sustainable.
However, we do distribute a small amount of food each morning and evening so that the animals will make an appearance. Not only is this great for visitors but, even more importantly, it gives the rangers the chance to health-check the animals. The animals eat the food over a period of about 30 minutes, then head off into the bush to find wild foods. This is a great time to interact with the animals.
Can visitors pat the kangaroos?
Yes. The rule is, if any animal will let you, you are welcome to touch. If the animal is agitated or moves away, please leave it alone. Just like people, animals don’t always feel like having company.
Remember, no wild animal – even a friendly one – likes to be touched on or near the head or neck. Most of out animals, however, really enjoy a gentle back massage. But always keep in mind that the animals at Walkabout Park are wild and you cannot be absolutely sure how they will react. Follow the safety tips that you get on arrival, and always supervise children.
Male kangaroos in the wild stand tall on their back legs and scratch their tummies when they are sizing up another male that might be a threat. If you are ever close to a kangaroo when it stands up tall, just move away.
How long can kangaroos live for?
Eastern Grey kangaroos normally live for between 10 and 15 years. The oldest Grey Kangaroo on record lived for more than 25 years.
Can visitors feed the kangaroos and wallabies?
The only animals that you are allowed to feed are the goats and alpacas and guinea pigs in the petting zoo.
We do not allow hand feeding of any of the other animals. Even our rangers never hand feed them. Walkabout Park is a sanctuary where the animals are not restricted to small enclosures, the sanctuary is their home. Feeding encourages unnatural behaviour including stealing food from visitors which can be scarey, and possibly dangerous, for small children.
Australian animals also breed more or less frequently depending on conditions so, if you feed them they can respond by overbreeding causing overpopulation and too much strain on the bush. Only at a sanctuary like Walkabout Park can the public see native animals feeding naturally in a wild environment.