PENOLA resident Trudy Taylor has shared a passion for Australia’s true-blue hopping Australian icon for over half a decade.
Raising over 12 Grey Eastern kangaroos, Ms Taylor’s hobby started when she found an orphaned joey on her property.
“I started raising kangaroo ophans around six years ago when we found one in our back paddock alone as a friend’s dog scared the mob of kangaroos and the mum chucked the joey out,” Ms Taylor said.
“It was on the ground and I had no idea what to do,” she said.
Ms Taylor rang a friend who directed her to a Mount Burr woman.
“This lady became my mentor and told me what to do and when to do it,” Ms Taylor said.
“I raise each kangaroo – usually two at a time – hand feeding them Wombaroo milk.
“Once they are 16 months old they are then brought to our property where we have an enclosure.”
Ms Taylor’s enclosure has a limit to how many kangaroos it can hold.
“There are about 10 kangaroos in there at the moment and I think that is the limit.
“All the kangaroos have been raised by me and we are not supposed to let them back out into the wild throughout South Australia.
“I am not totally sure why that is but I think it has something to do with them being brought up in the wild.”
The two kangaroos Ms Taylor raised last year have been left the run of the farm.
“They spend the day in next door’s blue gums which the owners are very happy about,” Ms Taylor said.
“In the evening they come through the fence to have a feed.
“The male kangaroos in the enclosure have been desexed but the two outside have not as they may need to defend themselves and their territory against other male roos.”
The kangaroos Ms Taylor is currently raising will also be given free range over her property.
Ms Taylor often takes on caring for new kangaroos once hers mature.
“Quite often the girls that run the wildlife group in Mount Gambier usually send me kangaroos when I do not have any,” she said.
“They are not pets, they are always slightly wild.
“They usually bond with me in a couple of days and it is very rewarding when raising them successfully into adults.”
Even though the kangaroos are hand-raised, they can still show aggression.
“They are not overly friendly towards humans,” Ms Taylor said.
“I could not imagine if someone did come in here that they would hop up to them.
“The boys especially can be a bit naughty and quite often they do actually grab you and playfully kick you.”
Ms Taylor has young grandchildren who love to feed and pat the kangaroos.
“The grandchildren love them,” Ms Taylor said.
“They are very excited to feed them and hold the bottle for the younger ones.
“They also come and help me feed the older ones too in the enclosure.”
The kangaroo enclosure gains attention from international visitors visiting the region.
“People know that I have the kangaroos,” Ms Taylor said.
“They ring me up and say they have visitors from Canada, Scotland, England, Canada, India or Korea.
“The visitors really enjoy coming out and having a pat of a kangaroo and their photo taken.”
Due to fear of a fire over the summer months, Ms Taylor periodically opens the enclosure.
“They all come out and have wander but also just stay within the property,” she said.
“I am doing it more often now just in case a fire happens.
“I want to be able to open that gate and hopefully they will go off and get away.”
Although Ms Taylor said raising kangaroos was expensive, she said it was worthwhile.
“They are beautiful creatures,” she said.
“It can be time consuming as well but I love spending the time with them.
“We did plan to build a bigger enclosure but maybe one day.”
