Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Dying kangaroo pictured reaching out to her joey as she is cradled by her mate

The scene was captured by a photographer who regularly walks in the area of River Heads, Queensland

Ian Johnston
Thursday 14 January 2016 00:42 GMT
Comments
Photogrpaher, Evan Switzer, said that after the marsupial died, the male seemed to stand guard over her body
Photogrpaher, Evan Switzer, said that after the marsupial died, the male seemed to stand guard over her body

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

A dying kangaroo has been photographed apparently reaching out to her joey as her head is cradled by her mate.

The scene under a mango tree in River Heads, Queensland, was captured by Evan Switzer, a photographer who regularly walks in the area, The Courier Mail in Australia reported.

“I saw the male pick up the female, he looked like he was just trying to get her up and see what was wrong with her,” he told the paper.

“He would lift her up and she wouldn’t stand she’d just fall to the ground, he’d nudge her, stand beside her... it was a pretty special thing, he was just mourning the loss of his mate.”

Mr Switzer said that after the kangaroo died, the male seemed to stand guard over her body.

“The male would chase the other kangaroos that came around away – he was sort of protective over the female,” he said.

“The young one looked kind of confused, it would stand by the mother and then hop off and chew some grass, and then come right back again.”

He said he could not see any signs of injury on the kangaroo.

“I’ve travelled around a bit and you see a lot of dead roos on the side of the road – but I've never seen anything like that before,” Mr Switzer said.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in