The kangaroo, estimated to number in the TENS of millions on this island continent, is a national symbol. (No, I didn't take this photo.)
Ken has been coming to Alice Springs for almost thirty years, accumulating maybe a couple years' worth of time in the country, and yet has never seen a kangaroo in the wild. They are nocturnal and move about during the cool evenings, nights, and mornings.
And move they can.
Like an Olympic diver with powerful legs, a male Red Kangaroo (the species prevalent here in the Red Center), can spring forward with a single gigantic leap of over 30 feet.Boing, boing, boing.
I was driving out to see Standley Chasm early Friday morning when suddenly in the bubble of my headlights a fully grown adult kangaroo (males can weigh up to 180 pounds) leapt out in front of me. I have never seen anything like it. The moment I first spotted him he was safely on the side of the road. The next instant - boing! - he was airborne in front of me. I was going about 55 miles an hour.
Ken and I keep up with what's going on in the Bay Area by reading electronic versions of the San Jose Mercury News. Last week there was an excellent article on how conductors who witness suicides by train have to deal with the emotional aftermath . (See the Links section on the right to read the original.)
One of their challenges is ""That feeling of there's nothing ... you can do, it's a horrible feeling that goes along with it."
Although killing a kangaroo is nothing as horrific as the thought of killing a person, I feel a bit like these individuals who "often use the phrase "under my belt" to describe ... deaths they have witnessed, as if the experience enters and becomes part of them."
Like an instant replay at the Olympics, I keep seeing that leap over and over again.
I am just very lucky that he didn't come through the windshield, that there were no other cars or drivers around, and that the damage to the Mazda was relatively minor.
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Wow, what a story! I'm glad you are all right. My friend, Garry, had told me that kangaroos were an extreme nuisance in some places in AU and so many got in the way of cars that it was dangerous and big grills on the fronts of cars is common. But he's lived there for years and never had a personal story of a tangle with one. It's unfortunate that this happened to you after only being there such a short time. I hope you won't let it affect your adventurous spirit and that you will keep exploring and sharing your experiences with us.
ReplyDeleteHi Glenda,
ReplyDeleteSo glad you avoided a possible major thing with the kangaroo. Reminds me of our one visit to Au several years ago. We were on a game preserve on the east coast between Sydney and Melbourne and we were with a local and he told me I could walk up to this mom and her little roo and it would be safe. I happened to be munching on a bagel and she hopped over to me placed a fron paw on my shoulder and took the bagel from me.
I am really enjoying reading about your experiences and observations. Thanks, you have a great gift for writing.
Joan T.