The Kangaroo Sanctuary, Alice Springs

The best thing about travelling is when we get to make new footprints, explore places that we have never been before and find something unique along the way.

Meet Brolga, a 6 foot 7 inch gentle giant who looks a bit like Indiana Jones. Originally from Western Australia, Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns’ life changed as a tour guide many years ago when he found a dead female red kangaroo on the side of the road and in its pouch was a baby Joey still alive.

Brolga took the Joey and wrapped it up in a pillow case. The baby kangaroo would have died without its mum so Brolga spent the next 24 hours with little sleep, hugging the joey in the made up pouch close to his chest for warmth and feeding it to keep the Joey alive..

From that day, Brolga’s destiny had changed and he had a mission to save and care for injured or orphaned kangaroos to one day hopefully release them back into the wild. Basically Brolga is a kangaroo mum and he has reared and raised hundreds of orphan baby kangaroos since that first precious encounter.

So in 2005, he created a baby kangaroo rescue centre here in Alice Springs and started saving little orphans. In 2011 he set up a 188 acre kangaroo sanctuary in added Central Australia’s first kangaroo rescue centre in 2015.

The rescue centre’s motto is “Animals Come First” and he personally runs kangaroo sanctuary sunset tours Tuesday to Friday so we feel really privileged to enjoy this experience tonight.

Now Brolga is a very kind and generous man and he believes that the only way to inspire and educate others about his mission is to be hands on and experience holding a Joey for ourselves. At that point, Jen melts and gets excited at the prospect of holding a baby kangaroo.

So now meet Foxy and Chester “so cute”. The orphans are 14 months old Red Kangaroos which are common in central Australia. At this age, they still need constant attention so over in the baby kangaroo rescue centre, there’s currently 10 joeys needing 24 hour care and Brolga does the night shift Monday to Friday with help during the day and weekends.

Baby kangaroos get stressed if they are separated from their mum or away from other kangaroos for a period of time so they need mates. Jen is the perfect mate.

Jen waits her turn as Brolga leads us through the sanctuary with kangaroo feed to meet his other kangaroos, each one friendly, soft and gentle. Each Kangaroo has a name and Brolga knows each one even from a distance.

Brolga explains that the sanctuary is only for those red kangaroos that can’t be released into the wild due to injuries, age or the fact that they love humans too much and have lost their survival instinct. So the sanctuary is for a minority including baby orphan kangaroos as most kangaroos are eventually released back into the wild. He currently has 56 kangaroos and the 10 Joeys.

Most importantly, Brolga explains that if you see a dead kangaroo at the side of the road, there’s a chance that there may be a live joey still inside, waiting to be rescued. Not many folk know this and we usually pass by without a thought. Due to the mother’s strong muscles lining her pouch, it protects the joey from bouncing out from an impact, often even if the roo has been hit by a car.

So stop and check and if you find a baby kangaroo inside a pouch, grab a pillow case, be it’s mum and look after it until you can get it to a rescue centre.

It’s Jen’s turn to hold Foxy. He’s tiny and still weighs very little so she cuddles him close. Quietly, I think they are both keeping each other warm. I get a turn and the joey gives me a kiss cos i’m obviously the favourite...

As we walk some more we stop at a gravesite and memorial for Brolgas favourite and most infamous kangaroo, Roger (2006-2018). Roger was a giant male red kangaroo and leader of the mob. He was as tall, if not slightly taller than Brolga at 6ft 7’ when upright which caused a problem. Being the dominant male kangaroo, Roger always considered Brolga competition and a threat so was always ambushing him, fighting and chasing him around the reserve.

Roger had exceptional muscle definition. He was strong enough to crush an ice bucket and was a black belt kick boxer with a fearsome kick. In fact, the International Body Building Championship sent Roger a certificate and gold medal for his amazing physique. His image is famous around the world and even today he features on many a product advertisement for which the kangaroo sanctuary receives royalty’s from.

In 2013, a documentary called Kangaroo Dundee was made by BBC UK / National Geographic USA and follows the interesting lives of the mob of rescue kangaroos and other wildlife. The documentary is shown in over 90 countries and a great way to promote wildlife conservation.

https://kangaroosanctuary.com/about/brolga-kang…

Nearing the end of our 2 hour tour, it’s time to hand back the baby kangaroos who have been passed on for everyone in the group to cuddle. Well guess who’s holding little Baby Chester to the very end. Of course it’s Jen and she reluctantly hands him back to Brolga as we get on the tour bus back to Alice Springs town centre.

Well i think she gave him back. what’s that bump in the front of Jen’s jacket. Didn’t notice that before...Read more