Kangaroo eat corpses to get nutrients

Ecologists observed some unusual behaviors of kangaroos due to scarcity of food.

Australia prepares to welcome the hot summer after a dry winter and experts worry about the fate of millions of kangaroos, Xinhua reported on October 5. Contrary to the countries in the Northern Hemisphere, Australia usually lasts from December to February. Some small native species can struggle to survive drought. However, kangaroos with larger sizes and overcrowded numbers can die in mass.

Picture 1 of Kangaroo eat corpses to get nutrients
Millions of kangaroos are at risk of dying from drought.(Photo: Vice).

A number of wildlife lakes located far away from residential areas have dried up for the first time in history, according to Vicki-Lee Wilson, manager of Arkaroola Wildlife Sanctuary in South Australia."There are some lakes that we think will always have water, but now they are also depleted for a year and a half. The remaining water is dirty and of poor quality. This is very bad , " she said.

Picture 2 of Kangaroo eat corpses to get nutrients
Some lakes were dry for the first time.(Photo: Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary).

Kangaroos desperately seek food, says ecologist Katherine Moseby of the University of New South Wales. Kangaroo died massively in arid areas where she worked last summer.

"We see kangaroos going into public toilets and eating toilet paper. They even eat the stomachs of roadside dead children, trying to get some nutrition from their dead bodies. It's horrible and heartbreaking." when witnessing that scene, " said Katherine Moseby.

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