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Only in Australia. No-one can work out how a kangaroo ended up stuck on a roof in Mt Isa, Queensland. But here’s why I think he ended up there and how his rescue played out…
Cats might be renowned for doing it, but it’s not every day you see a kangaroo caught in this predicament. In fact, local firefighters called out to rescue the marooned macropod initially thought it was a hoax and just a very creative use of an inflatable toy. But real he was.
Thankfully he is ok. As the rescuers began to close in with safety harnesses and nets, he leapt off the roof into some (thankfully soft) bushes and bound away. But now the mystery centres around how he got there.
Here’s my take.
It’s not unusual for kangaroos to be drawn into towns with the lure of lush, high protein green grass on well watered ovals and front lawns. My feeling is this was all playing out as planned for the roo until he was startled by either a loud noise or a dog and looked to escape in a hurry. For kangaroos, they know their best form of escape is to bound away and leap high. In fact, they find safety in height. Cornered, it’s likely he felt the best option was to leap higher and higher and jumping to above gutter height onto a roof isn’t too much of a stretch. From that spot on the roof, he knew he was safe but then had nowhere else to go. And then he was stuck. Until the firefighters arrived. With the cause of his fright probably now miles away, he felt comfortable to leap off and find his way back to the relative safety of the bush. Adventure over. But he’s certainly given us the gift of a mystery and a moment we won’t forget. Safe travels…
