Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Adult, Male, Victoria, Australia

(Click image to enlarge)

Eastern grey kangaroos are among the most gentle, benign, and placid wild animals I have encountered. They have wide and almost continuous distribution between Australia's inland plains and the coast where the annual rainfall is more than 250mm (9.9 inches). They are found over most of Australia's eastern states including Tasmania at all altitudes from woodlands to subalpine areas. Eastern Grey Kangaroos live in groups, called mobs, that range in size from around ten to more than 100 animals.

Mature males like the one shown here can weigh 66 kg (146 pounds) and stand 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) high. They are impressively muscular and extremely strong. They actually stand upright and flex their muscles like a human body builder to show the other kangaroos how fit they are. Fights between males for dominance can seem quite violent. Kicks and punches that land squarely can be heard at a distance. It must hurt, but in the end everyone lives to fight another day.

Spending around 12 - 14 hours walking in kangaroo habitat most weeks creates many accidental encounters with kangaroos. Some of them are quite close. On one occasion I was walking on a trail and heard the thump, thump, thump of a kangaroo coming up behind me. I stopped and an enormous male kangaroo stopped beside me. He was only an arm's length away on my right side, and he was taller than I. We looked at one another. The kangaroo's expression looked like the one people get when they think they're greeting a friend and suddenly realize it's someone else. Both of us briefly stood there staring at one another. Then the kangaroo very slowly moved about five meters (16 feet) further up the trail and a bit further to the side. He didn't hop, but moved slowly on front and back legs. Then he stood upright again, looking back in the direction he came from. I watched him briefly then continued on my way, passing a couple of meters in front of him on the trail. He didn't even look at me as I passed.

It should go without saying that if you have a close encounter with a wild kangaroo, or any wild animal, don't be a jerk. Respect the animal's space. Be quiet, calm, and move slowly. Do not approach and never attempt to touch them. Kangaroos are amazingly gentle creatures, but if they feel threatened they can seriously injure or even kill a person. It's rare, but you wouldn't be the first.