True blue mates! Orphaned kangaroo and wombat are inseparable friends (they even share the same pouch)

By JILL REILLY

Creature comfort: Anzac the joey and Peggy the wombat have become best friends after sharing a pouch together at the Wildlife Kilmore Rescue Centre in Victoria, Australia

Opposites can attract and Anzac a doe-eyed baby kangaroo has become best friends with Peggy, a tiny squint-eyed wombat.
Their unlikely union developed after the pair - both orphans - shared a pouch at the Wildlife Kilmore Rescue Centre in Victoria, Australia.
At just over five months old, Anzac was brought to the centre after being rescued in the Macedon Ranges.
The joey is in the mother kangaroo's pouch for about eight months, depending on the species, but Anzac was abandoned a few months before he was ready to be free.

Happy pairing: At just over five months old, Anzac was brought to the centre after being rescued in the Macedon Ranges. Missing his mum, Anzac was placed with wombat Peggy and the two now sleep together

Luckily he was placed with Peggy, who was also feeling lonely and the two now sleep together, reducing the amount Anzac misses his mum.
Worker Lisa Milligan explained the unlikely friends are comforted by each others movement and heartbeat.
She said: 'There are lots of baby animals about at the moment, and they are orphaned for a range of reasons.'
One of the reasons the lively duo get on so well is their similar personalities - with Anzac described as very social while Peggy is boisterous and cheeky.
It's unclear if Peggy and Anxac's friendship will continue as they grow - firstly Peggy may not be able to keep up with Anzac.
Wombats walk with a somewhat awkward, shuffling or waddling gait.

Comforting cuddle: Worker Lisa Milligan said the unlikely friends are comforted by each other's movement and heartbeat

Although they appear to be slow and docile, wombats are very alert and can move quickly with great agility when needed.
But in contrast kangaroos can move a lot quicker and hop so efficiently that they can reach great speeds.
Although tiny at the moment as they get older their sizes will also start to differ greatly.

Opposites attract: One of the reasons the lively duo get on so well is their similar personalities - with Anzac described as very social while Peggy is boisterous and cheeky

Peggy will become powerfully built, weighing about 30kg - about the size of a small pig, although wombats are rarely dangerous.
But Anzac will become a lot taller and weigh about anything upwards of 30kg.
Luckily they are both herbivores so they won't be a threat to each other and if their friendship does continue they could spend their days side-by-side looking for luscious blades of green grass and leaves.

source: dailymail

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Roo look like an alien! Tiny kangaroo abandoned by mother is hand-reared in Germany

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

The hairless joey is now being cared for by keepers and must be constantly carried close to the body or wrapped up in blanket to keep warm

She might be a joey - but this miniature kangaroo is a very lucky female kangaroo called Sabrina.
The tiny frail looking creature was abandoned by her mother at the Serengeti-Park, Hodenhagen, in Germany.
She was a surprise addition to the zoo after she was discovered lying in the grass in the kangaroo enclosure - and no one knew her mum, Urmel, was pregnant.
One theory is that shortly after Sabrina was abandoned because of stress because Urmel escaped the zoo shortly after giving birth - and rejected her baby when she returned to her enclosure.
The hairless joey is now being cared for by keepers and must be constantly carried close to the body or wrapped up in blanket to keep warm.
The animals do not develop hair unless later in life as they would normally not emerge from the mother's pouch.

She was a suprise addition to the zoo after she was discovered lying in the grass in the kangaroo enclosure

Now aged three-months-old is doing well and is slowly putting on weight

The delicate 9.8inch tall kangeroo, who weighs just half a pound, is also being fed with special milk five times a day.
Now aged three-months-old is doing well and is slowly putting on weight.

The delicate 9.8inch tall kangaroo, weighs just half a pound. Her strong and long legs seem out of proportion for her tiny body at the moment

One of the keeper's said: 'Her coat won't develop for another month because she would normally still be in her mother's pouch.
'The mum had escaped from the park just after Sabrina was born and abandoned her when we got her back, we think because of the stress.'

source: dailymail

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Sure I'm not adopted Mum? Albino kangaroo cuddles up to his mother making everything all white!

By DAVID BAKER

Motherly love: This Bennett tree-kangaroo keeps her unusual joey close by having drawn attention since his birth in the Garden of Nature Zoo in Hungary

Poking his head tentatively out of his mother's pouch this kangaroo has got everyone hopping mad. But while crowds come out to marvel at the albino joey his mother is always on hand to make sure everything is all white.
Sticking close to her side this baby albino Bennett tree-kangaroo has already caused a storm. Up until a few years ago growing concern about the population of Bennett kangaroos led to new legislation to protect the 'near threatened' species.
So the arrival of this albino was an unusual addition at the Garden of Nature zoo in the town of Szeged, Hungary.
Following his birth more and more visitors have been coming to see the unique tree-kangaroo, or Dendrolagus bennettianus as it is officially called.

Everything all white? This albino Bennett tree-kangaroo has caused a storm since his birth one month ago

And despite its colour it is thought the joey is fit and healthy and can now expect to grow in weight of up to almost two-and-a-half stone.
As a species they are very agile and are able to leap 30ft from branch to branch and have been known to drop as far as 59ft without injury.
More commonly found in both mountain and lowland tropical rain forests they are one of the more unusual animals at Hungary's newest zoo.
Having been opened back in 1989 it spans almost 45 hectares, making it the youngest, but biggest zoo in the country.


'Near threatened': The Bennett tree-kangaroo is thought to be a lot safer now following a change in legislation

It also famously has its own Nature Conservation Rescue Centre, which treats almost one thousand injured or orphaned wild animals every year.
Legislation was passed to protect the species in their native Australia meaning they are no longer hunted by Aboriginals.

source: dailymail

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Hop-pily ever after: Bernie the kangaroo joey brought back to life by his rescuer with a kiss

By TED THORNHILL

Claws for thought: Bernie can consider himself the luckiest kangaroo alive after being brought back to life by Lisa Milligan


A baby kangaroo was brought back from the dead after being given the kiss of life by a wildlife carer.

So young that it hadn’t even grown hair yet, the joey - the name given to baby kangaroos - was rushed to a rescue centre after it was found lying lifeless by the side of a road near Melbourne, Australia.

The tiny pink animal was cold to the touch, but Lisa Milligan didn’t give up hope. She breathed air down its nose and mouth and massaged its heart until it suddenly came to.

‘It was gone for all love and money. It wasn’t breathing. It was icy to touch and rigid,’ Ms Milligan told Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper.


I love roo: Bernie gives his saviour, Lisa Milligan an affectionate nibble


‘But I kept going and after 15 minutes, it suddenly barked, which is what they do. And it started turning from a lifeless grey colour to perfect pink again.’

Ms Milligan has settled on calling the four-month-old creature Bernie, having concluded that naming him Lucky would be plain unlucky.

‘I think Bernie will suit him, after the movie Weekend At Bernie's,’ she told the paper.

He was found by the side of a road next to his dead mother, who had been killed by a collision with a car.

Ms Milligan, who works at the Wildlife Rescue Centre at Kilmore, near Melbourne, explained that a passer-by had dragged the body of the adult to the side of the road so that his daughter would be spared from seeing it on her journey to school the next day.


In the pink: Bernie has been given a blanket that matches his colouring to nestle in


It was then that he noticed the joey lying worryingly still not far away.

Praying that there was a hope he could be saved, the kind-hearted motorist dashed to the wildlife centre, where Ms Milligan saved him.

Kangaroos are particularly vulnerable near roads as engine noise and bright headlights surprise them and cause the energetic creatures to bound into oncoming traffic.

Such is the damage a kangaroo can cause a car that many are fitted with protective ‘roo bars’.

Sadly, because joeys travel in the pouches of their mothers, they too are often victims of collisions.


source: dailymail

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A zoo in Amneville

A picture taken on April 21, 2011 at a zoo in Amneville shows one of the mountain sheep babies borned lately at the zoo.



A picture taken on April 21, 2011 at a zoo in Amneville shows a Humboldt Penguin.



A picture taken on April 21, 2011 at a zoo in Amneville shows an Orangutan.



A picture taken on April 21, 2011 at a zoo in Amneville shows one of the three babies kangourou wallaby borned lately at the zoo carried by its mother.



A picture taken on April 21, 2011 at a zoo in Amneville shows one of the three babies kangourou wallaby borned lately at the zoo carried by its mother.



A picture taken on April 21, 2011 at a zoo in Amneville shows two mountain sheep babies borned lately.



A picture taken on April 21, 2011 at a zoo in Amneville shows one of the three babies kangourou wallaby borned lately at the zoo carried by its mother.

source: daylife
photo: Gettyimages

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The secret of how kangaroos bounce revealed by 'Lord of the Rings' infrared technology

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Captured: Reflections from small markers on the kangaroo are used in motion-capture to record movement


Hollywood technology used to bring Gollum to the screen in the Lord of the Rings blockbusters has been used by scientists to understand how kangaroos bounce.

Experts have been puzzled as to how the animals - especially when they become larger - are able to attain high speeds without breaking their bones.

But by using motion-capture technology, which records and analyses information from markers stuck on to the body, and infrared lights which illuminate the animals, they have been able to track their motion and force.


Motion: Infrared technology illuminate the subject and help researchers track the kangaroo's bounce


The motion-capture technique has previously been used to help golfers perfect their swings, and translate actor Andy Serkis' movements into Gollum in the celluloid trilogy.

However, the technique is not normally used outdoors because of the amount of infrared light from the sun, and so the Anglo-Australian research team utilised technology from Vicon to enable them to focus on kangaroos, screening out the ambient light.

The researchers are from the Royal Veterinary College in London, the University of Idaho, the University of Queensland, and the University of Western Australia, and hope their studies can be used in animal treatments and for conservation.

Craig McGowan of the University of Idaho told the BBC they wanted to find out how kangaroos change posture and 'hopping mechanics' with body size.


Monitor: A researcher monitors the kangaroo as it hops along a canvas tunnel during the experiments


'There are a number of species that, as they get larger, adopt more and more upright postures,' he said.

'That reduces the mechanical demands on the musculature - so it increases their mechanical advantage.'

The team's investigations - which also use the more usual method of high-speed video - were undertaken at Alma Park Zoo in Brisbane.


Wizardry: Motion-capture technology translated actor Andy Serkis' movements into Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy


Alexis Wiktorowicz-Conroy, researcher at the Royal Veterinary College, says they hope the experiments will explain how the animals manage to run so efficiently, and why they do not hurt themselves as they gain speed.

'We want to know how are they able to hop fast - even when they are quite heavy - and not change posture," she told BBC News.

'That's important, because these animals get really big, and we can't really explain without this why their bones don't break at high speeds.'

source: dailymail

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Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and compatriot Lucie Safarova pose for a photo with "Mello" koala at Melbourne Zoo

Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and compatriot Lucie Safarova pose for a photo with "Mello" koala at Melbourne Zoo during a rest day from the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 24, 2011.



MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 24: Lucie Safarova and Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic pose with kangaroos during a visit to Melbourne Zoo on day eight of the 2011 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 24, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia.



MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 24: Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic poses with kangaroos during a visit to Melbourne Zoo on day eight of the 2011 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 24, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia.


source: Daylife
photo: Gettyimages

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The festive foods were given to the animals

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 23: In this handout image provided by Taronga Zoo, a bear looks at a paper made snowman at Taronga Zoo on December 23, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The festive foods were given to the animals as part of the regular enrichment program in place to encourage the animals to forage for food and help improve hunting abilities.



SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 23: In this handout image provided by Taronga Zoo, two chimpanzees share a piece of watermelon at Taronga Zoo on December 23, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The festive foods were given to the animals as part of the regular enrichment program in place to encourage the animals to forage for food and help improve hunting abilities.



SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 23: In this handout image provided by Taronga Zoo, a bear plays with Christmas decorations at Taronga Zoo on December 23, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The festive foods were given to the animals as part of the regular enrichment program in place to encourage the animals to forage for food and help improve hunting abilities.



SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 23: In this handout image provided by Taronga Zoo, a meerket rests inside a Christmas present at Taronga Zoo on December 23, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The festive foods were given to the animals as part of the regular enrichment program in place to encourage the animals to forage for food and help improve hunting abilities.




SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 23: In this handout image provided by Taronga Zoo, a meerkat plays with Christmas presents at Taronga Zoo on December 23, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The festive foods were given to the animals as part of the regular enrichment program in place to encourage the animals to forage for food and help improve hunting abilities.




SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 23: In this handout image provided by Taronga Zoo, a tree kangaroo eats slices of watermelon at Taronga Zoo on December 23, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The festive foods were given to the animals as part of the regular enrichment program in place to encourage the animals to forage for food and help improve hunting abilities.



SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 23: In this handout image provided by Taronga Zoo, a tree kangaroo eats slices of watermelon at Taronga Zoo on December 23, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The festive foods were given to the animals as part of the regular enrichment program in place to encourage the animals to forage for food and help improve hunting abilities.



source: Daylife
photo: Gettyimages

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Vegemite for breakfast, the odd game of football and a few ciders in front of the TV: A day in the life of Beemer the pet kangaroo

By JODY THOMPSON

Don't skip breakfast: Beemer the kangaroo starts his day with Vegemite on toast and a side salad of fresh picked wild grasses, accompanied adoptive 'mother' Julianne Bradley at her home in South Australia


Most Australian males enjoy Vegemite on toast for breakfast, the odd game of footy and few bottles of something cold in front of the TV - but not many of them are marsupials.

But bouncy Beemer the red kangaroo is the exception to rule.

He lives with adopted mother Julianne Bradley, 50, who saved him after a road accident 18 months ago and with whom he shares her home in Glendambo, South Australia.


Booze for Beemer: The 18-month-old kangaroo likes the odd tipple of dry cider too - before watching an episode of Skippy on the television


Every morning he starts the day with a plate of wild grass with his toast and Vegemite toast to put a spring in his step, before hopping into the back garden for a game of football.

He also loves a bit of dry cider in front of the television in the evening, but Julianne is careful not to let him sink too much.

And yes, his favourite show is Skippy.

Talking to local newspaper Adelaide Now, Julianne said: 'He just stands there and watches it. He relates to it, he loves the theme music and dances to it.'


Pet pals: Beemer plays with Petie the cat in Julianne's back garden in Glendambo, South Australian


Dressed up: Beemer wears blue vest when he goes outside so local 'roo hunters know he's domesticated and not to shoot him


Ms Bradley took on Beemer after a female motorist brought him into the garage that she manages.

The woman had rescued him from his mother's pouch after she was killed by a BMW motorcycle - hence her charge's name.

At the time, he was just 20cm tall he was so tiny that Julianne kept him in a sock.
She bottle fed him and now he shares the house with Julianne's other pets - Woolly the merino sheep, dogs Ned, Apples and Cider and Petie the cat.

She said: 'Beemer wouldn't know if he's a kangaroo, a cat, a dog or a sheep.
'He could easily jump the metre-high fence that surrounds the yard but it seems he wants to stay.'

'It would break my heart if he ran away but I don't think he will. He's just like part of the family, he's like my son.'


Roo's in the back?: Beemer takes a trip out with Julianne - perhaps to buy some more cider


source :dailymail

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Caught on the hop: The boxing kangaroo that was no match for two pesky moorhens

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Back off! The wallaby issues a warning as the first moorhen approaches


The boxing kangaroo has become a metaphor for Australia's fighting spirit and prowess on the sporting field.

But this young wallaby showed a decided lack of punch when it came to defending his dinner from two pesky moorhens.

The birds quickly showed the shy swamp wallaby who ruled the roost, after the marsupial invaded their territory at a wildlife park on the Gold Coast, in Queensland, Australia.

The wallaby only got a few bites at the food before the moorhens took flight and started a fight.

At first they went eyeball to eyeball, then the wallaby adopted a boxing pose to show who had the upper hand.


Punch: The wallaby boxes with one of the birds as the other prepares to attack


But the wallaby was soon outnumbered in the food fight, when the moorhens spread their wings and sunk their claw-like feet in.

The defeated wallaby hopped it, leaving the victorious moorhens to their tucker.


Caught on the hop: The wallaby legs it as the two moorhens protect their territory at the Fleays Fauna Reserve, Gold Coast, Australia


source : dailymail

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Jumping for joy: Australian couple have kangaroo as bridesmaid on their wedding day

By Mail Foreign Service

The hoppy couple: John and Gilly Hughes on their wedding day with pet kangaroo and bridesmaid Zoe in Deans Marsh, Victoria, Australia


A wedding went with a hop, skip and a jump when the couple's pet baby kangaroo attended the ceremony as a bridesmaid.

Gilly Richardson and John Hughes were married in front of 80 guests on their sprawling family farm.

But it was not just the loved up couple jumping for joy during the ceremony, held in March.

The bride and groom adopted Zoe after finding her on a dirt track next to her dead mother on Black Saturday, close to their property in rural Deans Marsh, Victoria, Australia.

The Black Saturday bushfires on February 7 last year resulted in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire - 173 people died and 414 were injured


All together: The pair with daughters Brooke, five, and Holly, four, and the latest addition to their family


The third daughter: Zoe was rescued by the family after being found next to her dead mother's body on a dirt track following the Black Saturday bushfire last year


Knowing that she could die within days if not cared for, John and Gilly took the joey into their home.

She quickly became a beloved third daughter, alongside the couple's two children Brooke, five, and Holly, four.

All three were attendants at the wedding earlier this year, with two-year-old Zoe even posing up for pictures.


Fitting right in: Zoe always appears happy to have her photograph taken



source :dailymail

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The Australian MotoGP Grand Prix Drivers visit to a wildlife park at Maru Koala and Animal Park

125cc rider Julian Simon of Spain feed wallabies at a wildlife park near Phillip Island some 100km south-east of Melbourne on October 15, 2009. The Australian MotoGP Grand Prix will be raced at the Phillip Island circuit on October 18.



CORRECTION-CITY Italian 250cc rider Marco Simoncelli (L) feeds an albino kangaroo during a visit to a wildlife park near the Phillip Island track, some 100 kms southeast of Melbourne on October 15, 2009. The Australian MotoGP will be raced at the Phillip Island circuit on October 18, 2009.



CORRECTION-CITY Australian MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen has his hand gripped by a kangaroo during a visit to a zoo near the Phillip Island track, some 100 kms south-east of Melbourne on October 15, 2009. The Australian MotoGP will be raced at the Phillip Island circuit on October 18, 2009.



250cc rider Marco Simoncelli of Italy feeds an albino kangaroo at a wildlife park near Phillip Island some 100km south-east of Melbourne on October 15, 2009. The Australian MotoGP Grand Prix will be raced at the Phillip Island circuit on October 18.



An Albino Kangaroo wonders what the fuss is all about when MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen of Australia, 250cc rider Marco Simoncelli of Italy, and 125cc rider Julian Simon of Spain came to visit his wildlife park near Phillip Island some 100km south-east of Melbourne on October 15, 2009. The Australian MotoGP Grand Prix will be raced at the Phillip Island circuit on October 18.



CORRECTION-CITY Australian MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen (L), Italian 250cc rider Marco Simoncelli (C) and Spain's 125cc rider Julian Simon (R) feed kangaroos during a visit to a wildlife park near the Phillip Island track, some 100 kms southeast of Melbourne on October 15, 2009. The Australian MotoGP will be raced at the Phillip Island circuit on October 18, 2009.



CORRECTION-CITY Italian 250cc rider Marco Simoncelli (L) pretends to eat leaves as a koala (R) looks on during a visit to a zoo near the Phillip Island track, some 100 kms south-east of Melbourne on October 15, 2009. The Australian MotoGP will be raced at the Phillip Island circuit on October 18, 2009.



125cc rider Julian Simon of Spain (L) and 250cc rider Marco Simoncelli of Italy (R) pose with a koala at a wildlife park near Phillip Island some 100km south-east of Melbourne on October 15, 2009. The Australian MotoGP Grand Prix will be raced at the Phillip Island circuit on October 18.



CORRECTION-CITY Italian 250cc rider Marco Simoncelli (L) with a koala (R) looks on during a visit to a wildlife park near the Phillip Island track, some 100 kms southeast of Melbourne on October 15, 2009. The Australian MotoGP will be raced at the Phillip Island circuit on October 18, 2009.



125cc Bancaja Aspar team rider Julian Simon of Spain poses for a photo with a koala at Maru Koala and animal park 25km north of Phillip Island, Australia, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009.



250cc Metis Gilera team rider Marco Simoncelli of Italy, left, and 125cc Bancaja Aspar team rider Julian Simon of Spain feed Kangaroos at Maru Koala and animal park 25km north of Phillip Island, Australia, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009.



Suzuki MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen of Australia, left, 250cc Metis Gilera team rider Marco Simoncelli of Italy, center, and 125cc Bancaja Aspar team rider Julian Simon of Spain feed kangaroos at Maru Koala and animal park 25km north of Phillip Island, Australia, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009.



250cc Metis Gilera team rider Marco Simoncelli of Italy feeds a wallaby at Maru Koala and animal park 25km north of Phillip Island, Australia, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009.



125cc Bancaja Aspar team rider Julian Simon of Spain feeds a wallaby at Maru Koala and animal park 25km north of Phillip Island, Australia, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009.



250cc Metis Gilera team rider Marco Simoncelli of Italy keeps an eye on a playful koala at Maru Koala and animal park 25km north of Phillip Island, Australia, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009.



250cc Metis Gilera team rider Marco Simoncelli of Italy feeds an albino Kangaroo at Maru Koala and Animal Park, north of Phillip Island, Australia, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. The Australian Grand Prix motorcycling is scheduled for this weekend on the island.


credit photo: AP,Reuters,Gettyimages

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