A family of kangaroos in Happy Valley is breathing a sigh of relief today after a joey became trapped in a wire fence.
We’ll let City of Onkaparinga ranger, Trevor, to pick up the tail… erm, tale:
“At about 9:30am yesterday, I left a school parking patrol and was driving along Education Road when I noticed a baby kangaroo caught in a fence,” Trevor says.
“I pulled over to attend an found the joey’s foot had become twisted in the wire. Its mum and dad were also there, but my presence eventually scared them off.
“I contacted my colleague, Kristen, who I knew was close by with some bolt cutters in the ranger vehicle, and we had the little guy free in a few minutes.
“The joey seemed grateful, hugging my leg once he was free, and despite not being contained, he stayed close to Kristen and me.
“Kristen called her contacts at animal rescue to discuss any requirement for vet treatment, and it was then that mum and dad returned.
“Mum let out a call while hiding behind a bush and our new little friend hopped straight over to her.
“After a quick nose kiss between mum and joey, the reunited family hopped away into the scrub.”
If you find an injured, sick or trapped animal in need of rescue, you can phone RSPCA South Australia’s 24-hour hotline on 1300 4 777 22.
City of Onkaparinga rangers (community safety officers) have a range of responsibilities across the city, including animal management; investigating and responding to reports of non-compliance with council bylaws (including abandoned vehicles and illegal dumping); and parking.
In 2019-20 they responded to 1747 requests for dogs wandering at large, received 2263 illegal dumping reports, received and investigated 664 abandoned vehicle requests, and proactively conducted 171 school parking patrols to promote community safety around schools, among a range of other roles and responsibilities.