Indie Roo

Photo of Indie Roo when Charlie was four months old; growing in her pouch.

Indie was always a mumma’s girl.

From the very beginning, she and I shared something special. She wanted closeness, comfort, connection… and she gave it back just as deeply. Every bit of love I felt for Indie seemed to come back to me tenfold.

It became a bit of a running joke in our house how little interest she had in my husband, Paul. Indie knew exactly who her person was. Even as a young joey, she was a nurturer. She fussed over Maxie constantly, she loved hugging him, watching over him while he slept, gently playing with his ears when she was ready for him to wake. It was in her nature to care.

Indie groomed Max every chance she got. If he wasn’t nearby, she would happily turn her attention to me instead. Being groomed by a kangaroo isn’t exactly delicate work… but it’s hard to complain when it’s coming from a place of affection.

While still sleeping in their nursery at night, they spent their days outside, napping on our veranda and going on bush-walks with me. At 12 months old, weighing all of 7 kilos (15.5 lbs) they decided to venture off on their own for the very first time. My heart was only a little bit panicked (not true, I was beside myself). As the sun started to go down and the wild roos started venturing out of the bush, I waited and hoped. And then suddenly, there was Indie, running across the field, calling for me (you can hear her in the video below). Within a minute Maxie came running too. My heart melted, my eyes glazed over with happiness. They were just fine, they had been hanging out with the wild mob, but they knew it was time to come home now.

By the time Max and Indie were around 14 months old, both weighing over 10 kilos (22 lbs), they were considered “predator-proof.” Big enough to avoid most threats, and aware enough to run if needed. It was time for them to begin spending their nights outside in the wild world around them. That was a big moment. For them, and for me.

I set up their nursery so they could come and go, leaving the door just open enough for them, but not for anything larger. We installed wildlife cameras outside so I could see what they were doing overnight. I won’t pretend I handled it without worry. Those first nights were hard. I knew they were ready, but knowing something and feeling it are two very different things. Sleep didn’t come easily.

But then…

Seeing them out there, cautiously interacting with the wild kangaroos, learning their ways, finding their place… that was extraordinary.

They would go to bed around 10pm after their late bottle, sleep for a few hours, then head out into the night. By morning, they were back in their nursery again, curled up snugly.

I placed a pet bed just outside my bedroom window, thinking they might use it occasionally. Within a week, it became their favourite spot and they stopped coming back into the nursery. They had reached their next phase of development.

Their routine settled into something beautiful. They were eager to be tucked into their pouches before I went to bed. They would snuggle in and then I would lay them (in their pouches) on their bed where they would sleep from 10pm until around midnight. They would then head out to explore with the other roos, before returning in the wee hours of the morning. There is nothing quite like waking up and seeing your kangaroo kids outside your window, playing slap-slappity-slap as the sun comes up.

And if I was late getting up, Indie had her own ways of letting me know it was bottle time (you’ll want your sound on for her gentle bottle request):

I’d open the door, and they would march straight through my bedroom into the kitchen, eager to supervise the bottle-making process.

We’d head out to the veranda, and I’d sit with them as they drank, asking them what they’d been up to overnight. I so wished I could understand their answers (I knew they understood my questions).

They stayed close to the house, they felt safe on the veranda, but seeing them in the early morning when they didn’t know I was up yet, near the wild ones made my heart sing. The role of a wildlife carer is to raise these young babies in such a way that they will naturally integrate with a wild mob. Watch how Max and Indie (the two closest to my window) stick close to each other. Even with Max decides to head around the other side of the house, Indie quickly follows.

The kids were free to come and go as they liked of course, they still loved hanging about the veranda during snooze time though. Max LOVED naptime. But Indie had her ways of getting him up and moving about:

This wasn’t limited to the veranda though, when the days were overcast and Maxie wanted to lounge about in the grass, Indie was always happy to let Max know when she thought it was time to wake up and play.

When they were 16 months old, they started actively “blending” with the wild mob in stages. When the wild ones would come out of the bush to graze, they would hop over and just hang out nearby. Sometimes Maxie would go up and introduce himself, but for a while they were simply happy enough to blend in. That’s Maxie below closest to the camera showing off his clever blending skills.

Max was always more adventurous than Indie, and loved introducing himself to others, especially the big boys. He knew he would be one of them someday.

As time went on, Max began spending more and more time with the wild boys. Young males are drawn to sparring, and Max was no exception. He was eager, enthusiastic, and quite fearless. Watching them work together was fascinating. The way they test each other, adjust, learned, it is very apparent that they are coaching one another. I’ll post a story about that in the Meet Maxie section of this website, but this is a good example of fearless Max at 21 months of age, just wanting to hang with, and learn from, the big boys:

Around this same time, Max formed a close bond with another young boy, his age, I named Rosco. Many mornings, I’d find them sparring together in the early light. Max is on the left in the video below. It’s a very gentle sparring when they are young. But Max can be more aggressive with Rosco than he could ever be playing with Indie.

Rosco is on the left, Maxie on the right.

Even as Max found his place among the wild ones, at this age he never drifted far from Indie.

When the mob moved off into the bush, Max and Indie would often stay behind, choosing the comfort of home. You’d find them stretched out on the veranda, on their beds or the patio sofa, always close to one another.

Growing up didn’t mean growing apart. At least not until after she became a mother . . .