Kangaroo Shot in Back, Rushed to Surgery -- Arrow Misses Spine and Joey by Centimeters
It isn’t an unknown fact that in all countries, humans and the native wildlife coexist in the same land. From insects to large wildcats, the home is shared.
Specifically, Australian citizens share a home with an over-abundance of kangaroos. We’ve known since our kindergarten days that the kangaroo is native to Australia, as we admire their natural abilities to hop and their unique physical trait of having pouches for their young.
According to an Australian news source, there were about 45 million kangaroos reported out and about in 2016, compared to about 27 million in 2010. With that in mind, it isn’t surprising for Australians to look out their windows and spot a troop of “roos” outside their window or on the streets.
For Nancy O’Brien, this was exactly the case.
From her Bradleys Lane property in North Warrandyte, Australia, she spotted a troop of kangaroos in her yard relishing in the sun and just hanging around. Naturally, she pulled out her camera to capture this precious moment for her future memories.
However, upon further examination of her captured photos, she realized something seemingly bizarre, then realized exactly what she was looking at.
One of the female kangaroos, a 4-year-old Eastern Grey, had an arrow sticking out of her back.
“I recognized the one who was shot with the arrow. I can’t understand why anyone would want to harm them,” O’Brien stated.
Immediately after noticing this shocking sight, she called rescuers. However, their first attempts at capturing the creature were unsuccessful.
After some time, the injured kangaroo was eventually located by wildlife rescuer Manfred Zabinskas. He first tracked her down and then tranquilized her in order to transport her.
The female kangaroo was taken in for surgery that would ultimately save her life. Not only that, but it was found that she was carrying a 2-month-old joey at the time that she was shot with the arrow.
“She is very lucky. They have done X-rays and miraculously the arrow was millimeters away from her spine and other vital organs,” Zabinskas said.
Fortunately, the surgery was a success, and both the young female kangaroo and her joey are safe. She will spend ten days in the wildlife shelter where she can recover with her joey, since the baby kangaroo was too young to survive without her in good health.
The kangaroo is expected to make a full recovery back to health. O’Brien’s actions are a great reminder of the goal of humanity and compassion. Without her initial responses and wonder for the wildlife, as well as Zabinskas’ wisdom and surgical action, two lives would have been lost. Even the smallest acts of compassion can yield incredible results.
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