What a Life!
What an amazing journey it was raising Maxie Roo and Indie Roo together. They not only taught me to have more appreciation for kangaroos but they also educated me about the ups and downs of wildlife care. I was lucky with these two. Other than some cuts that happened when out in the wild, and Indie’s two week disappearance and those injuries, getting the two of them from the ages of 9-22 months was pretty smooth sailing (setting aside the grey hairs that developed from worry every day, wanting to get everything right for them so that they would be able to join the wild mob). I wasn’t as fortunate with some of the others I’ve had in care, and while that heartache with always be there, the immense joy and success of raising Maxie and Indie into their adulthood will forever be one of the highlights of my life.
I don’t know how we knew to snap this photo together that April afternoon, but the next day, Maxie was off on his walkabout.
At 22 months old gave us the biggest cuddles one afternoon. Then the next day he was gone. He had gone off on walkabout, something that is perfectly natural for kangaroos. As a wildlife carer I knew we had done right by him. Indie had given birth and was more interested in her baby. Max had found the perfect sparring partner in Rosco and the two of them when off together. I was so very proud, but I kept hoping I would get to see him again someday.
And we did!
Max returned a little more than two years later!!
He’s a big boy now (he’s 4 years old in these photos) and he comes by most mornings and evenings, often accompanying one of the young ladies of the mob. His two years away has helped click his wild-side into place, so he won’t let me get within three meters of him without running away. This is good, this is how I know that no matter how big he gets, he will not try to get close to a human that could harm him.
He stares at us with wide-eyed fascination, almost as if we are part of some dream he once had. But there is no mistaking that it is him.
I am overjoyed!
Now if you haven’t see what happened with Indie after she turned 22 months, well that’s a treat in and of itself:
