I first visited Australia in 2006, and saw my very first wild kangaroos in Canberra. They gave me a show, and I really should share it here. It's too funny how this progresses. I see them in this school yard, very early in the morning. I shakily video them, they go behind a bush, I round the bush, and there they are - looking at me. They seem to go, "Sigh. Let's give the damn tourist the routine," then rear get into their toes and tails position, and...well you'll have to watch. It was too much. (When they were done they looked at me like, "Good enough?" and hoped off.)
That actually inspired a blog that I did very little with over the years - Boxing Kangaroos.
Your description of what happens fits the video perfectly. They almost look resigned to fighting! It's funny how the common animals of one part of the word look so exotic to people in another. I understand Cockatoos and Cockatiels are pretty common down there but are precious and expensive pets up here. Are there any pet shops with Robins and Pigeons on sale for big bucks down there? I imagine a buffalo would be pretty exotic looking in a place with no large grazing hoofed mammals...
ReplyDeleteCockatoos and lorikeets are all over the place - right outside our veranda commonly. And they have hoofed grazers, just not native ones: they brought camels in ages ago. They're roaming the Outback now wild in big numbers. Same with water buffalo - though not bison, of course.
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