Harsh but True -- The Story of Diablo the Kanga

My sister is a policewoman. Her recent posting was to a country posting in a town called Newman - an open cast iron ore mine in Western Australia, located 1186 km (736 miles) north of Perth. Western Australia is supposedly the richest state per capita in Australia due to the wealth of its minerals. It's a booming town.

Then why with all this money is there this story of Diablo.

My sister responded to a domestic violence call at one of the houses on one of the Aboriginal camps. She arrived at the house and it stunk like it always stinks at an Aboriginals house. On the living room floor she saw the lower half of an adult kangaroo carcass. Off to the right on the kitchen floor she saw a joey and people wandering around ignoring it. She dealt with the domestic and hauled the Aboriginal guy off to another location.

She returned to the office where she told her coworker about the joey on the kitchen floor. The coworker, knowing about the raising kangaroos, knew that at such a young age the joey needed to be in a pouch to survive.

My sister and the coworker went back and told the Aboriginals to hand over the joey or they would be charged under the Animal Protection Act. The Aboriginals were a bit "niggly" (a little upset) so my sister offered to buy them a couple of cases of chardonnay in exchange for the joey. A deal was sealed and the joey was rescued. My sister honored her word and returned the next day with the chardonnay. Apparently one keeps the Aboriginals happy in Newman.

The coworker took over the responsibility of caring for the little Joey, now named Diablo. It is quite an undertaking looking after a kangaroo. According to my sister, for two years the little joey must remain in a pouch, in this case a backpack. In the beginning, any cuddling and handling needs to be done with the joey in its pouch where it feels safe. And the best bit is that as the joey is fed its "nub" must be rubbed in order for it to pee and poop. "Oh come on," I increduously stated and then went directly to do some research. Indeed it was true. "Joeys are normally stimulated to defaecate and urinate by the mother's licking, so after each feed, gently but firmly rub the genital area (its nub) of the joey with a tissue or toilet paper to stimulate the joey. Continue stimulating until the joey stops defecating and urinating. Failure to do this may lead to urinary tract / kidney and bowel disease." To know more about kanga raising http://www.marsupialsociety.org/hand_rearing.html

Diablo now spends his time going to work with the coworker in his backpack. Where she goes he goes. He is in the patrol car with her or some other coworker. Diablo cannot be left alone as he needs to be fed constantly as well as peed and pooped.

Two weeks after Diablo was rescued the local Newman vet called my sister's coworker with another joey who had been rescued from an Aboriginal camp. The coworker took it in but it had contracted some disease from being neglected and died three weeks after being rescued.

My sister has many heartbreaking stories about animals being abandoned and tortured by the Aboriginals. It is hard to listen to the stories and then listen to the Aborignals talk about their love of the land and its creatures when they treat such wonderful wild beings with such disrespect. And the mining company as well. And the law. Everyone has a part to play

The single animal refuge in Newman has no medications, no resources. It is basically a way station. My sister's coworker had to shoot a kangaroo that had been tortured by 6 Aboriginal children -- ages 8 - 14 -- because the refuge has no medications and the ranger was having his guns cleaned. How loud do the voices of the rescued or dead animals have to be before we know that there is a problem and then to create a solution?