In this picture publicly provided by the zoo Dvur Kralove and taken on Monday, March 20, 2017, in Dvur Kralove, a zoo keeper removes a horn of Pamir, a southern white rhino, as one of the safety measures to reduce the risk of any potential poaching attack. The zoo's decision follows the incident in the French Zoo Thoiry, where one of the white rhinos was killed by poachers for its horn in the beginning of March. (Simona Jirickova/Zoo Dvur Kralove via AP) Picture of the raccoon that climbed the MPR building in St. Paul (CNN) — Mobs of kangaroos have been raiding patches of grass in the Australian capital Canberra, driven to the city’s sports fields, back yards and roadsides by food scarcity. Canberra residents have taken to social media with images of the jumping marsupials exploring outside their usual habitats. But beyond the cute photo opportunities, the hungry kangaroos are at risk of dying on the roads as their feeding times coincide with rush hour. Nothing like waking up in the Nation’s capital to find a kangaroo in the back yard. pic.twitter.com/PdppNxcbrt — Robert Gotts (@CommentatorGen) July 25, 2018 Between car parking & work in the heart of #Canberra (near our sole railway station) - an entire troop of kangaroos (more than pictured) #cbr pic.twitter.com/12fgWEkjIP — Craig Thomler (@craigthomler) July 25, 2018 Canberra has more than 30 nature reserves, with most hosting hundreds of Eastern Grey Kangaroos, and it is not unusual to see them in the reserves or in roads or yards nearby, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Parks and Conservation Service Director Daniel Iglesias told CNN. But he said this winter the animals were far more visible. “Canberra is experiencing a perfect storm of hardship for its kangaroos. New records have been set in Canberra for very cold, frosty nights this winter. This, coupled with very dry conditions with very little rain at all in June and July, means there is very little food for kangaroos, ” Iglesias said, via email. “Sports ovals, suburban yards, schoolyards and roadsides are the few places offering any green grass at all in Canberra at the moment and they act as magnets for kangaroos,” he said. Driving in areas with large populations of kangaroos is ill-advised during the animals’ dawn and dusk feeding times as they can jump in front of moving vehicles without warning. Many larger cars in country areas have “roo bars” on the front of the vehicle, to act as a breaker for those in the car, should a collision with a rogue kangaroo take place. It is time to declare a kangaroo plague in Canberra. Enough with the vehicle damage. Vegetation under threat. We need some solutions @canberratimes @abccanberra @Craigallenabc — Paul Osborne AAP (@osbornep) July 4, 2018 Very Canberra start to the morning: hitting a kangaroo on the way to the airport 🙊. — Ellen Broad (@ellenbroad) July 4, 2018 I don't know why foreigners get these strange expectations of Australia like seeing Kangaroo's running through the city.... Posted by Dash Cam Owners Australia on Friday, November 3, 2017 Kangaroos are social animals and live in large groups known as “mobs,” often headed by a dominant male. “Get to know where your local mob hangs out and avoid them, or slow down, especially during peak movement periods of dusk and dawn,” Iglesias said. “People should also keep their dog on a lead as it can be very stressful for kangaroos to be chased by dogs and the dogs also put themselves at risk of being harmed.” On its website, the ACT government says Canberra’s Eastern Grey Kangaroo population means the city qualifies as Australia “Kangaroo capital.” The ACT’s Department of Environment says numbers have increased to the extent that some nature reserves have some of the highest densities of kangaroos per square kilometer in Australia – up to almost 700 per square kilometer. Kangaroos are considered a pest in most areas of Australia and culling is legal. The ACT government carries out an annual cull, which it says is aimed at lessening the animals’ impact on ecosystems and threats to some local flora and fauna species. This year’s cull finished July 27. Iglesias said 3,253 kangaroos had been removed from seven of Canberra’s reserves but that there were still “tens of thousands” in the city. Human residents still dominate in the capital, which has a population of around 400,000, but across Australia there are double the number of kangaroos to humans. According to a 2016 report, there are more than 44 million kangaroos in the country. As of the 2016 Census, Australia has a human population of 24 million. When a Canberran walks to work in the morning they are required to pay respect to our macropod overlords. Good morning skippies. #canberralife pic.twitter.com/2R1z0zJlqq — Jane O'Dwyer (@msodwyer) May 3, 2018 Currently in Canberra, kangaroos are looking for food at the same times as residents are traveling between their homes and workplaces. “The short winter days means people are commuting to work at dawn and home at dusk, bringing motorists and kangaroos together in a potentially deadly way for kangaroos,” Iglesias said. “Wildlife rangers are reporting record numbers of roadkill with Canberra on target to record its highest ever tally of ‘roos reported killed by collisions with cars.” Motorists who hit kangaroos should not attempt to move them as they could put themselves in danger, he said, noting that residents needed to be cautious around the animals as they became a more familiar sight. “Kangaroos will get used to having people around and their drive to find food will overwhelm their cautious nature. People should never approach a ‘roo to pat or feed it – it will inevitably mistake your well meaning advances and you risk it striking out in self-defense.” CNN’s Tara Mulholland contributed to this report.<doc-sep>The Australian city of Canberra has been overtaken by thousands of hungry kangaroos, who are raiding any patch of green grass they can find. Scores have been spotted by residents dealing with the sudden influx of the "mob" - the term for a large group of kangaroos. The capital city has more than 30 nature reserves, most of which are home to eastern grey kangaroos. However, a dry and harsh winter has forced the animals out of their bush habitats and into the main city in search of food. Between car parking & work in the heart of #Canberra (near our sole railway station) - an entire troop of kangaroos (more than pictured) #cbr pic.twitter.com/12fgWEkjIP — Craig Thomler (@craigthomler) July 25, 2018 Park rangers have been called to a record number of crashes in the suburbs involving the bouncing marsupials, according to a report by The Canberra Times. Advertisement There have already been 2,291 incidents so far this year - compared with 2,634 in the whole of 2017. "The way we're tracking, it's likely we're going to have more than 4,000 kangaroo incidents by the time the year is done," Daniel Iglesias, director of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Parks and Conservation Service, told the newspaper. "That is typical of dry years because these animals are under stress. Another day in the big city - Had to chase a lonely young #kangaroo away from busy Wentworth Avenue near #Canberra railway station on my way home from work (protecting drivers & roo) #CBR pic.twitter.com/SKgUauwozt — Craig Thomler (@craigthomler) July 30, 2018 "They're looking for food, which means they're more mobile and it always ends up with more roadkill." He said Canberra is experiencing a perfect storm of hardship for its kangaroos. "New records have been set in Canberra for very cold, frosty nights this winter," Mr Iglesias told CNN. "This, coupled with very dry conditions with very little rain at all in June and July, means there is very little food for kangaroos. "Sports ovals, suburban yards, schoolyards and roadsides are the few places offering any green grass at all in Canberra at the moment and they act as magnets for kangaroos." Elsewhere in New South Wales, a family-of-three were woken by a kangaroo smashing through a bedroom window in Melbourne on Monday night. "We were just sleeping and out of nowhere we just hear a big bang," Mafi Ahokavo told Channel Nine television. The frightened kangaroo, which cut itself on the shattered glass, bounced through the house before collapsing in the bathroom. Rescuers nicknamed it "Norman" and said it was likely the animal "took a wrong turn... and couldn't find his way home".<doc-sep>Canberra residents have been advised to avoid driving around dawn and dusk when kangaroos are most often on the move A rapidly growing group is gaining influence in Canberra, Australia. According to news.com.au, thousands of kangaroos are hopping into the suburb outside the city of Ainslie, causing traffic jams, lawn troubles and other pesky problems — like interrupting football matches. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Canberra residents are used to seeing ‘roos around the neighborhood, since their area, as news.com.au points out, is home to some of the highest densities of eastern grey kangaroos in Australia. But things are getting too rowdy even for these experienced locals. Instead of few kangaroos crossing a busy road at once, now they are hopping across the highway in groups as big as 20. Kangaroos are also invading Canberra yards, leaving behind droppings and chewed-up clods of lawn. The increase in the marsupial population is likely due to a lack of food in the areas the animals usually call home.“Canberra is experiencing a perfect storm of hardship for its kangaroos. New records have been set in Canberra for very cold, frosty nights this winter. This, coupled with very dry conditions with very little rain at all in June and July, means there is very little food for kangaroos,” Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Parks and Conservation Service Director Daniel Iglesias told CNN via email.<doc-sep>"[The kangaroo] was hopping around and getting more and more upset, and at first he just rushed past her and hit the wall," Mr Zabinskas told the BBC.<doc-sep>
Kangaroos in Australia are flocking to metro-suburban areas in a bid to find more food. In Canberra (Australia's capital city), residents have been taking photos of kangaroos feeding in backyards, on sporting ovals and anywhere else they can find food. Kangaroos do not usually frequent heavily populated areas, but a cold and dry winter has diminished their food supply so severely they are straying away from animal reserves. According to Australian Capital Territory Parks and Conservation Service Director Daniel Iglesias, via CNN, green grass acts as a "magnet" for kangaroos. "Canberra is experiencing a perfect storm of hardship for its kangaroos," Iglesias said. "New records have been set in Canberra for very cold, frosty nights this winter. This, coupled with very dry conditions with very little rain at all in June and July, means there is very little food for kangaroos." Kangaroos venturing out of reserves and into traffic represents a large concern for commuters. Since kangaroos feed at around dusk and dawn, drivers in the winter months have been hitting more animals during their trip to work. "Roo bars" are common for Australian vehicles to protect from damage. Earlier this month, the Canberra Times reported that rangers had been called to a record number of kangaroo-caused car crashes. Halfway through the winter season, there have been 2291 incidents in 2018. In comparison, 2017 had 2634 in total. Iglesias said people should be aware of mob (name for a group of kangaroos) locations. "Get to know where your local mob hangs out and avoid them, or slow down, especially during peak movement periods of dusk and dawn," he said. "People should also keep their dog on a leash as it can be very stressful for kangaroos to be chased by dogs and the dogs also put themselves at risk of being harmed." There are almost twice as many kangaroos in Australia than people (24 million to 44 million). Kangaroos are regularly culled to protect native flora and fauna. Between car parking & work in the heart of #Canberra (near our sole railway station) - an entire troop of kangaroos (more than pictured) #cbr pic.twitter.com/12fgWEkjIP — Craig Thomler (@craigthomler) July 25, 2018 Nothing like waking up in the Nation’s capital to find a kangaroo in the back yard. pic.twitter.com/PdppNxcbrt — Robert Gotts (@CommentatorGen) July 25, 2018 In June, it was revealed some kangaroos were "getting drunk" by eating canary grass. This intoxication causes strange behavior and can eventually advance to damage the central nervous system, Yahoo7 News reported. Michelle Mead, who works for the Central Victoria Wildlife Rescue and Information Network (WRIN), said the organization was receiving as many as 10 calls each week reporting kangaroos showing symptoms of the illness, known as phalaris staggers. "The alkaloids in the grass affects the brain and causes strange behavior," Mead explained. "They look like they are drunk, they stagger around and fall over and shake their heads." "It's quite horrible seeing a kangaroo that's affected and it's hard for our rescuers," Mead said.